Olivia Chow from Hong Kong became Toronto’s first female mayor on June 26 this year.
Chow is Toronto’s first female and visible minority mayor. She is also a foreigner.
When she was 13 years old, her family emigrated to Canada from Hong Kong. She spent her adolescence in a flat in Toronto’s St. James Town neighborhood. She has spent her entire adult life in Toronto.
Olivia Chow from Hong Kong became Toronto’s first female mayor
Chow, who is currently 67 years old, was elected to her first position in 1985 when she served a six-year term on the Toronto Board of Education. She was the first woman of Asian descent to hold the position of Metro Toronto Counselor in 1991. Additionally, she remained in this role for 14 years before being chosen as an NDP (New Democratic Party) member of parliament in 2006.
She was also the NDP’s immigration spokesman from 2006 to 2011. Also, she was in charge of exposing immigration policy’s flaws and holding the ruling party accountable in this capacity.
Chow was recognized as one of Canada’s top 25 immigrants in 2012 and 2014. She returned to Toronto municipal politics by running for mayor but losing to John Tory. Just months after being elected to his third term, Tory resigned from the job in February of last year after holding it through three elections.
After Tory resigned, more than 100 others ran to succeed him. Among them, Chow’s main rival was Ana Bailao, a fellow immigrant to Canada. While Mark Saunders, a former police chief, finished third.
37% of the vote went to Chow. The voter turnout was 40%, which was more than usual. Only 29% of eligible voters showed up at the elections in October 2022.
Chow prioritizes housing
In place of the customary six weeks, Chow stated to CP24 that she would like to take office immediately. She claims that housing is her primary goal.
“Let’s obtain housing, especially since nonprofits provide some social housing. They had been waiting for approval for two years,” Chow stated.
According to her proposal on land held by the city, 25,000 rent-controlled dwellings would be built over the following eight years. The strain on Toronto’s housing issue will gradually lessen as more housing is built, making it more affordable for immigrants to reside in the city.
The average single detached home in Toronto costs $1,270,000 in the first quarter of 2023, while one-bedroom flat costs more than $2,400 monthly.
She also has plans to increase transit options in the city and roll back recent service cuts to the TTC, including cell coverage for all passengers.
Toronto is an immigrant city
Olivia Chow embodies the contemporary demographics of Toronto. The majority of immigrants in Canada reside in this city. In Toronto, immigrants comprise 46.6% of the population, according to Census 2021. In addition, a census report put together by the city of Toronto indicates that 53.9% of immigrants in Toronto are women.
Additionally, 15.7% of non-permanent residents of Canada and 17.6% of immigrants to Toronto entered as refugees in 2021.
In addition, 55% of Toronto’s immigrant population is Asian-born. According to census data, the Philippines, China, and India are the top three birthplaces of immigrants to Toronto.
