Paula Fletcher Announced She Is Retiring From Politics and Withdrawing Her Name From the Upcoming Municipal

Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher announced she is retiring from politics and withdrawing her name from the upcoming municipal race, just days after registering to run for another term. She said she got "a little excited" after returning from vacation and put her name up for another four years.

On Wednesday morning, she said she had a "come to Jesus moment" while on her paddleboard on Lake Ontario, when she decided it was time to call it a career. Fletcher said her health is fine, following questions about the sudden change of heart, but that it was time to enjoy the city she has fought to improve for more than two decades. She also made clear she didn't have enough time to tackle another major project, like the Don River and waterfront revitalization projects she has pushed for.

As for a potential successor in her ward, Fletcher said she has made no decisions and will wait and see who puts their name forward. She noted that she succeeded Jack Layton in the ward and said her constituents have a shared set of values they will expect to be respected by whoever comes next. Fletcher said she is still councillor until the fall and will continue answering calls for broken branches or sewer issues, as she has this week.

Nominations for municipal elections close at 2 p.m. on Friday. Already this week there have been late-entry candidates, with Mike Layton registering for University-Rosedale and former MP Nate Erskine-Smith in Beaches-East York. Fletcher said she is not just going to put her feet up over the next couple of months.