Former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders was defeated in Don Valley West, failing to become the last of the prominent cops to hold political office after handing out his badges.
CTV News predicts that Liberal Stephanie Bowman will defeat Saunders in the long-running Liberal Ride, most recently held by former Prime Minister Kathleen Winn.
In doing so, the chartered accountant and former board member of the Bank of Canada will prevent Saunders from becoming the third Toronto police chief to be elected to office after leaving office.
Bill Blair immediately jumped into politics after spending a decade as a senior cop in Toronto and has since held a number of cabinet positions in the federal liberal government, including his current position as emergency preparedness minister.
Julian Fantino, meanwhile, was Ontario’s provincial police commissioner after his tenure at TPS, but eventually continued to hold several cabinet positions in Harper’s Conservative governments from the early to mid-2000s.
Saunders spent 38 years in the Toronto Police Department before retiring as chief in the summer of 2020. He later served on the provincial COVID-19 vaccine task force before being selected as a Tory candidate in Don Valley West in March.
He was considered one of the Tory’s star candidates in the city of Toronto, an area where the party has traditionally struggled to break through.
During the campaign, however, Saunders faced some criticism for canceling a planned debate for all candidates at the Lawrence Park Community Church.
At the time, NDP candidate Irwin Ellman called his absence “stunningly disappointing.”
Don Valley West has been represented by the Liberals since 2003.
In 2014, Tory candidate John Kieran came close, losing by just 181 votes to Win.
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