Bonnie Crombie will take a leave of absence from her role as Mississauga mayor, according to a spokesperson on her campaign.
A spokesperson working for Crombie’s Ontario Liberal leadership campaign confirmed the news to CTV News Toronto Wednesday evening. At this time, it's unclear who will oversee mayoral responsibilities in her absence.
CTV News has reached out to the City of Mississauga and the mayor’s office for further information.
Crombie launched her bid for the Ontario Liberals top job in June, claiming she has the "experience and energy” necessary to take on Premier Doug Ford in the next provincial election, slated for the spring of 2026.
The Ontario Liberals have been without a leader since 2022 when Stephen Del Duca resigned from the position after losing the provincial election. John Fraser has served as the interim leader since August 2022.
The Liberals will vote for a new leader on Nov. 25 and 26 and are scheduled to release the results on Dec. 2.
Liberal MPs Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre) and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York) are also running for the role, alongside Liberal MPPs Ted Hsu (Kingston-and-the-Islands) and Adil Shamji (Don Valley East).
With files from CTV News Toronto's Siobhan Morris and Jordan Fluegel.
