Olivia Chow will return to the hardscrabble Toronto neighbourhood where she grew up to launch her campaign Thursday to become mayor of Canada’s largest city.

Just hours after resigning her NDP seat in the House of Commons, Chow officially joined the race Wednesday afternoon. A member of her campaign team registered Chow’s candidacy at city hall, a day earlier than expected.

“Why not, no reason,” said Bill Cronau, her campaign’s chief financial officer. Another volunteer, Bob Gallagher, also signed the paperwork, as did city Councillor Mike Layton, son of Chow’s late husband, NDP leader Jack Layton.

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Chow was in Toronto on Wednesday preparing to kick off her campaign inside a church in St. James Town, a low-income downtown area filled with highrises. Chow lived there with her family after emigrating from Hong Kong in 1970.

The left-leaning politician joins an already crowded field of right-wing contenders preaching fiscal restraint. Chow is expected to promise bold, progressive changes for the city. Her challengers, including Mayor Rob Ford, wasted no time painting her as a spendthrift politician while evoking the past.

Ford told CP24 he welcomed Chow’s entry in the race and said she makes former mayor David Miller “look like a conservative.”

Councillor Karen Stintz’s mayoralty campaign issued a statement saying the city can’t afford “to go back to the ways of an NDP Mayor.”

“Toronto needs someone reasonable and accountable in the mayor’s chair, not someone who is going to perpetuate old-style ‘tax and spend’ attitudes,” the email said.

The John Tory for Mayor Campaign threw up a barebones website inviting people to “tell Olivia Chow that you don’t want her spending YOUR tax dollars to benefit her political career.” Tory has registered to run already but plans his formal campaign kickoff event next week.

Businessman David Soknacki steered clear of any attack Wednesday as he stumped for the mayor’s job in the snow. He and Chow were both city councillors during the reigns of both Mel Lastman and David Miller.

“Welcome to the race, look forward to debate, look forward to the seven months ahead,” Soknacki said.

“I worked together with Olivia. I’ve enjoyed working with her, I enjoyed debating with her, and I would like to think there was mutual respect.”

Voters go to the polls Oct. 27. Chow has led in most polls of potential contenders over the past year; the most recent, a late February survey by Forum Research, put her in a tie with Ford and gave her a slight lead over Tory.

Chow’s campaign will be managed by veteran John Laschinger, who has run campaigns for Miller and top provincial and federal Conservatives. Warren Kinsella, the veteran Liberal strategist, is also involved.

Chow has been endorsed by George Smitherman — the Liberal who was defeated by Ford in 2010 — and filmmaker Deepa Mehta, among others.

Olivia Chow

Born: 1957 in Hong Kong

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Resume: School trustee, Toronto city councillor (1991-2005), NDP MP (2006-2014)

Personal: Widow of NDP and Opposition Leader Jack Layton, who died in 2011

Published: Her memoir, My Journey, in January 2014

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