Elections in Toronto and its suburbs, as in other municipalities in the Province of Ontario, have traditionally not been the domain of formal political parties.
Candidates for election to municipal councils and school boards typically run as individuals, and not as members of political parties.
In the 1970s and 1980s, New Democrats in Metro Toronto attempted to introduce party politics by using campaign materials featuring a "Metro NDP" logo, and by forming an official NDP caucus on Toronto city council.
The growing unpopularity of the Bob Rae government resulted in incumbent NDP councillors and trustees running without a party label in the 1994 municipal election.
A stronger than expected performance by NDP-aligned councillors running as independents provided a strong argument against reviving party affiliations in the 1997 or subsequent elections.