Toronto elects first mayor of Chinese descent

Olivia Chow has been elected mayor of Toronto, the largest and most populous city in Canada.

She is the first woman and first Chinese-Canadian to lead the city.

In a race featuring 102 candidates, the progressive politician's victory Monday ended more than a decade of conservative rule at City Hall.

"Whether you voted for me or not, we are united in our love of this great city. I pledge to you I will dedicate myself to work tirelessly in building a city that's more caring, affordable and safe for everyone," Chow, 66, said in her victory speech Monday evening. Chow thanked her volunteers and voters and shared her story as an immigrant, along with details about her difficult upbringing.

"If you ever doubted what's possible, if you ever questioned your faith in a better future and what we can do with each other, for each other, tonight is your answer," she said.

The by-election came about after former mayor John Tory admitted in February to having an "inappropriate relationship" with a former member of his staff.

Chow immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong with her parents at the age of 13 and struggled to adapt to a new country. She sewed buttons onto jeans as a teenager to help her family, with her mother cleaning homes and her father unable to hold a steady job due to mental illness.

Chow started her political journey as a school board trustee in 1985. After holding the position for six years, she joined her late husband Jack Layton — who later became federal New Democratic Party leader — as a city councillor for Toronto in 1992. She was first elected to the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament in 2006.

Layton got into federal politics from the Toronto City Council and led the NDP to unprecedented opposition status in 2011 in the so-called "orange crush" before his sudden death from cancer the same year.

In 2014, Chow ran against Tory and current Ontario Premier Doug Ford in the Toronto election, finishing third. "People know who I am, people know my values," she told Canadian media in an interview during the campaign.

Chow said her many years of experience and ongoing engagement with people in the city allowed her to speak out confidently on issues.The top issues facing Toronto residents, she said, are concerns about cost of living, crime and safety, spending taxpayers' money wisely and public transit.

Chow campaigned on getting the city back into social housing development and for an annual $100 million investment in a program to purchase affordable homes and transfer them to nonprofits and land trusts. She advocated rent control, a review of policies and to "hold the city accountable".

Tory offered his "sincere congratulations" to Chow on Twitter late Monday evening. "She brings a great deal of experience in the public life of our city and our country, and I know that will serve her well as Mayor," he said.

Ford said Chow has "proven her desire and dedication to serving the city".

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Chow, saying he is "looking forward to working together to deliver results for Torontonians".

Last October, Ken Sim was elected mayor of Vancouver — the first Chinese-Canadian in the post and first Asian mayor of Canada's eighth-largest city.

"The path to get here was incredibly long. One hundred and thirty-five years after the Chinese Head Tax was paid just for the right to come here, Vancouver has elected its first Chinese Canadian mayor," Sim said during his victory speech.