Toronto municipal election: Dianne Saxe switches wards as registration deadline closes

Toronto-Danforth will have a new race this fall after University-Rosedale incumbent Dianne Saxe switched wards just before the municipal candidate registration deadline passed on August 21, at 2 p.m.

Saxe's last-minute switch came after Paula Fletcher announced her retirement on Wednesday from the Toronto-Danforth seat. This move avoids what appeared to be shaping up as a competitive race in her original ward against former councillor Mike Layton, who represented University-Rosedale until 2022 when he left council to focus on his family.

Layton, the son of former NDP leader Jack Layton and stepson of current Mayor Olivia Chow, is now free to return to City Hall in University-Rosedale, which is now wide open. He has indicated he is looking to return to council to address issues like affordable housing.

With 51 candidates vying for the mayoral spot, recent polling suggests a three-horse race between incumbent Olivia Chow, Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford, and former Conservative cabinet member Chris Alexander. Chow holds an 11-point lead over Bradford among decided voters with Alexander at 11 per cent support.

Other competitive ward races are shaping up. In Parkdale-High Park, long-time incumbent Gord Perks is not seeking re-election after two decades. Notable candidates include Nadia Guerrera, who ran for the Ontario Liberals in 2025 but lost to the NDP candidate; Debbie King, a Toronto District School Board Trustee since 2022; and Diana Chan McNally, a well-known advocate and community and crisis worker.

In York South-Weston, long-time incumbent Frances Nunziata—the longest-serving member of council since 1997 and Speaker of Toronto City Council since 2010—is facing off again against Chiara Padovani, who lost by only 94 votes in the last election.