Vote Chow

I took this photo in the College and University area just before the federal election.  At the time I was just attracted to the orange sign on the orange building, but now this photo has a lot more historical significance.  Olivia Chow, the sitting federal member for that area, was the wife of (the late) Jack Layton, who was the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP).  At the federal elections, the NDP tripled their seat count and became the official opposition party, deposing the long standing Liberal party.

This past July, only a few months after the election success, Jack Layton announced he had been diagnosed with cancer, and he passed away only a month later.  It is rare that a sitting opposition leader, especially one at the top of his game, dies while in office in any country (barring those 3^rd world countries with ongoing corruption and violence); and this event rocked the country, leading to several days of national mourning.