Former police chief Mark Saunders to run for mayor
Former police chief Mark Saunders will enter the race to become Toronto’s next mayor, a spokesperson for his campaign confirmed Monday night.
Saunders served as Toronto’s police chief from 2015 until his resignation in the summer of 2020.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
In the fall of 2020, he was named to the Ford government’s COVID-19 vaccine task force, which was responsible for ensuring that vaccines could be quickly distributed and administered across the province.
He ran under the Progressive Conservative banner in June‘s provincial election but was defeated by Liberal Stephanie Bowman by about 1,800 votes.
At the time, he said that his political career was “over” and that whatever “itch” he had to put his name on a ballot had been “itched out.”
However, Saunders name quickly surfaced as a potential candidate following the abrupt resignation of John Tory last month.
Last week, a spokesperson said that Saunders was spending time “talking to communities across Toronto” and was “strongly considering” a run.
“More and more he’s hearing that community safety is the top issue right across the city right now. He’s concerned,” the spokesperson said.
Saunders will join CP24 Breakfast tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. to discuss his decision to run and his upcoming campaign.
He joins a crowded field that already includes former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, former city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti and urbanist Gil Penalosa, who finished a distant second to John Tory in October’s election.
A number of others have also said that they are considering runs, including Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter and current city councillors Brad Bradford, Josh Matlow and Stephen Holyday.
In October's municipal election, 31 people registered to run for mayor, though there has been speculation that an open race could result in even more candidates.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report. Of the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
WATCH LIVE As former prime minister Mulroney lies in state, public tributes in Ottawa begin
Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon.
BREAKING Roy McMurtry, former Ontario attorney general, dies at 91
CTV News has confirmed that former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry has died.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.