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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.