Polls closed as Toronto votes for new mayor

Polls have closed in Toronto's mayoral byelection.

Voting hours were extended at the four stations due to earlier interruptions.

"Each location is being extended due to unique circumstances, which include fire alarm interruptions and medical emergencies. The temporary power outages did not impact the ability to process voters," the city said in a statement on Monday.

The stations were:

• West Hill Apartments, 4175 Lawrence Ave. E., Assembly Room (Ward 24) will remain open until 8:15 p.m.
• Sacred Heart Catholic School, 75 Hupfield Trl., Gym (Ward 25) will remain open until 8:15 p.m.
• St. Thomas Aquinas, 636 Glenholme Ave., Gym (Ward 12) will remain open until 8:20 p.m.
• The Briton House, 700 Mount Pleasant Rd., Resident Entrance (Ward 12) will remain open until 9 p.m.

"Any voter in line at these voting locations by the extended closing time will be able to cast their ballot," the city said.

WATCH | Election results to be reported here:

Voting day had soggy start

Earlier on Monday, heavy rain and the risk of a thunderstorm made for a soggy start to election day in Toronto, but it didn't stop 88-year-old Sophie Jaremko from casting her vote. 

"I have to get my 'X' down," said Jaremko, outside of Brentwood Public Library in Etobicoke early Monday.

Polling stations opened at 10 a.m. in the hotly contested byelection campaign to replace scandal-departed John Tory. It was the second mayoral election for the city since October, after Tory admitted to having an affair with a staffer and resigned just a few months into his third term.

Jaremko said this time around, she's hoping Toronto's next mayor will focus on affordable housing, which would help "a lot of people in the city." 

"I vote every time," she said, adding it's a "shame" many people don't exercise their democratic right. The city's municipal election in the fall saw less than one in three people cast their vote. 

In the lead-up to Monday, Andrew Tumilty, who twice ran Tory's election war room, told CBC News that whenever he's confronted by someone who doesn't believe their vote matters, he tells them it's worth the small investment of time it takes.

"It's incredibly important, particularly in an election like this where a few points here and there could ultimately be the difference," he said.

"We haven't seen a race like this, with this many sort of top-tier campaigns, still hanging around on election day in a long time. "It is absolutely worth it to get out there on election day and vote," he said. "If you're a little bit more cynical and if you don't vote, you don't get a reason to complain."

Who are the high-profile candidates?

Former NDP parliamentarian and past city councillor Olivia Chow emerged as the frontrunner as she vied to reverse her electoral fortunes after finishing third in the 2014 mayoral race.

Ex-police chief Mark Saunders and former deputy mayor Ana Bailão pitched themselves as the best placed candidates to challenge Chow's lead in the polls.

Rounding out the list of high-profile candidates were former Liberal provincial education minister Mitzie Hunter, city councillors Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford, and right-wing columnist Anthony Furey.

The campaign was headlined by issues of housing affordability, public safety and damaged municipal finances.

Number of candidates 'overwhelming': voter

A record 102 candidates were lined up to replace Tory, with roughly a half-dozen names rising to the top of the field over the course of the 12-week campaign.

But for some, the long list of hopefuls made it confusing to narrow down their top choices.

"It was very overwhelming," voter Vikki VanSickle said at a polling station in a west-end area of the city known as the Junction.

"There were a lot of candidates. There wasn't a lot of clarity up until closer to the end. I mean, I had a feeling of who I wanted to vote for based on past performance, and so that's part of what is informing my decision."

Linda Jin-Troendle has been following the mayoral race since Tory left office, citing her "civic duty" to participate in elections.

"Consistency, conservatism and a freeze to my property taxes," Jin-Troendle told CBC Toronto of what she hopes Toronto's next mayor will bring. "We pay enough already."

But Thane Tweyman said they want to live in a different Toronto than what's been the norm for the past decade.

Tweyman said they want less of an emphasis on clearing out homeless encampments and more of a focus on building affordable housing and making the city a "safe place for everyone."

Some on social media questioned the polling station's opening time and expressed frustration that they couldn't cast a ballot earlier in the day before heading to work.

In a statement to CBC Toronto about the poll hours, the city said the hours were set by the Municipal Elections Act and were consistent with past elections. It noted that advanced polls were open earlier this month as well. 

Advance polls held earlier this month saw 129,745 people cast a ballot, an increase of 14,000 over early voting in the October election.

Polls were open today until 8 p.m. at 1,445 voting locations across the city, with the exception of four, where voting hours were extended. 

The official election results are expected to be certified by the city's clerk on Wednesday, with the new mayor sworn into office at an agreed-upon time afterward.

Next mayor will face budgetary challenges

Whoever is elected Monday will inherit a city budget with a nearly $1-billion pandemic-related shortfall, driven partly by reduced transit revenue and increased shelter costs.

Toronto resident Lynn Burgess said outside a polling station Monday morning that she is open to paying higher taxes if it helps improve homelessness, housing and mental health services. 

"I feel kind of like the city's at such an incredible crossroads right now," she said. "There's so many things going on and falling apart that I guess for me, it became like a strategic voting plan because I don't want to see another John Tory or (Premier) Doug Ford or (former mayor) Rob Ford."

The next mayor will also inherit largely untested "strong mayor" powers, allowing them to pass budgets with just one-third council support, veto bylaws and unilaterally shape the city's top-level administration. Several leading candidates have vowed not to use those powers to overrule council.

October's election saw a record low 30 per cent voter turnout in a race where Tory cruised to a third term against a field absent of any contenders with high-profile name recognition and experience in elected office.

With a number of established candidates contesting this election, city hall watchers have speculated the winner could be elected with the lowest share of the popular vote since amalgamation. Tory's 2014 win stands at the low watermark, when he captured 40 per cent of the vote.