Nominations have not yet opened, but the race to become mayor of Toronto is already getting crowded with even more potential candidates.
A community group threw its weight behind one longtime councillor’s possible bid Wednesday and a number of other familiar names are saying they may run as well.
The group, Friends of Josh Matlow, said in an open letter that they are calling on the Toronto-St. Paul’s councillor to run in the upcoming mayoral race in June.
“We are community members from across Toronto who believe that Josh Matlow has the vision, courage, compassion, and energy to be the next Mayor of Toronto.”
The group includes former Toronto mayor John Sewell, former councillor and mayoral candidate David Soknacki, and others.
The, 47-year-old has represented his ward as a councillor since 2010 and he was a Toronto District School Board trustee for seven years before that. He previously said that he was considering a run, but reiterated that he is “strongly exploring” it in an interview with the Toronto Star which was also published Wednesday.
Matlow, a centrist, has been critical of former mayor John Tory in the past, particularly around the Scarborough subway extension.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday evening, Matlow said he hadn't made a decision about a mayoral run.
The councillor said he is still exploring the possibility of running for the city's top job and appreciates the group's endorsement.
"I certainly am strongly considering running to replace John Tory for mayor of Toronto," Matlow said.
"I'm deeply grateful for the support of so many people in our city who, in their own right, are leaders in our communities, whether they be artists, whether they be working with people who are living on our streets and need homes, people who are working to make our environment healthier, and people who are working in their neighbourhoods to improve the lives of their neighbours."
Matlow said he continues seeking advice from community advocates and former politicians about joining the race.
He added that it's important that his wife and 10-year-old daughter support whatever decision he makes.
"Because we would be on a journey together, and we would be the package that people would get if they ever elected me," he said.
"I want to make sure that whatever we do is done well. So I would have an announcement when I believe that we are ready to announce, but right now, we're doing a lot of work to both explore but also to make sure that we're going to do this well."
Matlow said the next mayor should take a pragmatic and progressive approach to improve services, especially for people struggling on city streets, and address other issues like snow clearing, tree pruning, and fixing roads and other infrastructures.
"What I'm done with -- and I think a lot of people feel this way -- is mayors and other leaders talking about how awesome everything is, but we know on our streets and our neighbourhoods that there are people who are struggling, there's infrastructure declining, and services underfunded," Matlow said.
"We need to improve our city. And I believe that we can make a Toronto that works for more people for everyone if we have honest conversations about how to get there. I'm willing to do that as a member of our community, and I am exploring perhaps a larger role in that."
Just yesterday Coun. Stephen Holyday also said that he is considering a run for the mayor’s office.
“I am considering a run for Mayor because everyone notices the problems worsening throughout our City and I want to do something about it,” Holyday said in a statement. “In speaking to citizens, there are clear ideas that resonate because they are just common sense.”
He said that the city should be prioritizing “good repair and maintenance of our roads, sidewalks, boulevards, parks and facilities before we move on to building new things” and delivering “quality and reliable services with maximum value like snow clearing, waste collection, grass cutting, road and water repair and construction.”
Holyday, a fiscal conservative, has been on council since 2014. His father, Doug Holyday, was on council for years before that and was also mayor of Etobicoke.
In an interview with CP24 on Wednesday, he said strong leadership is needed to keep the city in a state of good repair.
“You can see cracks in the sidewalk and asphalt that needs to be replaced,” Holyday said. “They’re not exciting sometimes, but they are to me and they’re very important to the citizens of the city and I think we need to be talking about that more at city hall.”
On Wednesday, lawyer and human rights activist Knia Singh, who finished with around 3,000 votes in mayoral bids in 2018 and 2022, confirmed he is taking a run again as well.
“I will be running because I know the city needs someone who is caring, reasonable, informed and invested in the lives of Torontonians,” Singh told Newstalk 1010 host John Moore.
Asked about the mayoral candidates at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said “a good field of candidates is always healthy for people to decide on” and said he will work with “whoever gets elected.”
Asked about the issues he sees as important in the race, Ford said safety is top of mind, referring to a recent rash of violent incidents on the TTC.
“A big issue I’m hearing out there is safety –safe communities, safe subways, safe transit. That’s a big issue in Toronto right now,” Ford said.
He added that as mayor “you also have to be fiscally responsible.”
Ford has previously said that he plans to send auditors into municipalities to make sure that there is no “waste” before providing any provincial funds to compensate them for revenues lost due to a reduction in local development charges that was mandated by his housing plan.
A slew of possible candidates have already declared that they are exploring possible bids to replace John Tory. They include Coun. Brad Bradford, former councillors Ana Bailao, former police chief Mark Saunders, Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter and others.
Nominations open on April 3 and candidates will have until May 12 to file their paperwork ahead of the June 26 byelection.
