Torontonians will be heading to the polls on June 26 to elect their new mayor. This comes after longtime mayor John Tory stepped down from the role due to an “inappropriate relationship” with a former staffer. Former NDP MP Olivia Chow has been the frontrunner in the mayoral race, having previously run in the city’s 2014 mayoral byelection. With Tory not running for the first time in the past three byelections, Chow will be competing against right-leaning candidates such as former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders and political commentator Anthony Furey. Former deputy mayor Ana Bailão has recently gained momentum in the polls, with a survey showing that she has about 30 percent of voters’ support. Meanwhile, Chow maintains her lead with 36 percent. Other candidates, including Mark Saunders, Anthony Furey, and city councillor Josh Matlow, have around 8 or 9 percent support. Mitzie Hunter and Brad Bradford trail behind with 5 percent and 1 percent support, respectively. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has endorsed Saunders for Toronto’s next mayor. The polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 26, with over 1,440 voting locations available. Over 129,740 eligible voters have already cast their ballots at advance polls, representing an increase of 14,000 compared to the previous mayoral election in October 2022. Tory resigned in mid-February after admitting to an affair with a former staffer. The current mayoral candidates have focused their campaigns on addressing Toronto’s affordable housing crisis, with Chow proposing to raise taxes on expensive real estate purchases to fund the construction of cheaper housing units. Bailão plans to introduce “rental zoning” to ensure dedicated sites for rental housing. Saunders aims to remove property taxes from affordable housing units in future developments, while Furey suggests eliminating the municipal land-transfer tax for first-time home buyers.