2018 Toronto municipal election

2018 Toronto municipal election

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Council before election (see table) Elected Council Toronto City Council 2018–2022

The 2018 Toronto municipal election was held on October 22, 2018, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.^[1] Registration for candidates for the office of mayor, councillor, and school board trustee opened on May 1, 2018, and initially closed on July 27, 2018. John Tory won the mayoral election with over 60% of the vote.^[1]

To account for the city's growing population, Toronto's council wards underwent a realignment, with the removal of a ward in the west end, three new wards added in the downtown area, and a new ward in North York, expanding the city to 47 wards. However, in July 2018, newly-elected Premier of Ontario Doug Ford introduced legislation to require that Toronto's municipal elections use the same ridings as it does for provincial and federal elections, thus reducing the council to 25 wards. The bill attracted controversy for its intent to change electoral boundaries in the middle of a campaign, and was struck down as unconstitutional in September 2018.^[2] However, a stay on this ruling was granted nine days later by the Court of Appeal for Ontario; the three judge panel ruled that Bill 5 is constitutional and that the previous ruling was "dubious", thus reinstating the 25-ward election.^[3]

Seventeen Toronto councillors were elected with less than half of all votes cast. One councillor, Cynthia Lai was elected with approximately 27% of the votes cast.^[4]