Olivia Chow

Olivia Chow is a Canadian politician who has served as mayor of Toronto since 2023.

Olivia Chow is a Canadian politician who has served as mayor of Toronto since 2023. She previously represented Trinity—Spadina as a New Democratic Party member of Parliament and served for years on Toronto-area municipal councils. She was born in Hong Kong and moved to Toronto as a child.

Early life and education

Olivia Chow was born in Hong Kong in 1957 and moved to Toronto with her family as a teenager, immigrating at age 13. Sources describe her early life as shaping her later interest in public service and community work.

Municipal politics

Chow began her political career in Toronto municipal politics, including service as a school board trustee and later as a councillor on Metro Toronto Council and Toronto City Council.

Federal politics

In 2006, Chow was elected as the NDP MP for Trinity—Spadina and served in the House of Commons until 2014.

Mayor of Toronto

Chow won the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election and took office as the city’s 66th mayor in July 2023. She became the first woman to serve as mayor of Toronto since the 1998 amalgamation and the first person of Asian descent to hold the office.

Public profile

Chow is widely identified as a long-time progressive politician and organizer, and she has also been described in sources as an artist and professor.