ARCHIVE: Olivia Chow KNEW about widow Jack Layton’s visit with prostitute, stayed with him anyway – report (UPDATED)

The lead contender for Toronto’s mayoral race was married to a man accused of receiving services from a prostitute.

Olivia Chow is the predicted winner of the upcoming Toronto mayoral race, with recent polls showing a clear lead over her competitors.

Chow has been criticized for alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She has also been slammed for allegedly living in subsidized housing with her now-deceased husband Jack Layton.

However, there’s a darker side to Chow’s relationship with the founder of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Layton was accused of spending time with prostitutes at a seedy massage parlour named the “Velvet Touch.” This all happened while he was married to Chow.

Chow and Layton married each other in 1988, and stayed together until Layton died in 2011. During that time, Layton was allegedly found naked in a brothel, in the company of a suspected prostitute.

British tabloid the Daily Mail reported in 2011:

Canada’s lacklustre federal election campaign has finally ignited after claims the man many tip to be the country’s next prime minister was found naked by police in a suspected illegal brothel.
Jack Layton, the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), was discovered lying on a bed in a room with a 5ft 10in Asian woman in her mid-20s during a police search for underage prostitutes in 1996.
The married Layton, who was a Toronto city councillor at the time, was cautioned and released without charge, a retired Asian crime unit officer told the Sun News Network.

Naturally, both Layton and Chow denied the allegations, with Layton stating he was simply receiving a “shiatsu” massage.

If the claims are true, and Layton did have a taste for Asian prostitutes, the question becomes: why did Chow stay with him?

NOTE: This article contains the author’s opinion. Read more about our editorial standards.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of the article stated Layton was caught with “underage” prostitutes. The article was updated to clarify he was caught with a suspected prostitute, and the police were searching for underage prostitutes when Layton was found. There is no evidence Layton was caught with an underage prostitute. It is unclear whether the woman Layton was with had performed sexual acts on him.