Toronto Mayor John Tory speaks during a news conference at City Hall in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS Arlyn McAdorey
TORONTO – John Tory will stay on as Toronto’s mayor to see his budget get debated at city council, his office said Monday, despite his announcement last week that he planned to resign following an affair with a former staffer.
Tory’s office said the 68-year-old was working to ensure the fiscal plan ““ the first he proposed under new “strong mayor” powers ““ is approved.
“Mayor John Tory will be attending Wednesday’s budget meeting to ensure the 2023 City of Toronto operating and capital budgets are finalized,” his office wrote in a statement.
Further details on Tory’s transition out of power were expected after the budget meeting, his office said.
The development laid out some of what the city could expect after Tory’s stunning announcement Friday that he would be stepping down following an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who used to work on his team.
Coun. Gary Crawford said Tory has indicated he will stay on as mayor through Wednesday’s pivotal debate over the proposed budget, which could drag on for weeks.
“He has stated that he is committed to finishing the budget and the budget process, “Crawford said. “That could end Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday evening, or it may be continued for another couple of weeks.”
As of Monday, the city confirmed Tory had not submitted a letter of resignation.
Political observers had speculated about whether Tory would wait to officially resign until he could push through his budget, which includes a boost to policing and cuts to transit service.
Under those powers, Tory has the ability to veto any changes council makes to the budget, which can only be reversed by a two-thirds council majority. The province has said those powers would not transfer to an interim or acting mayor.
Wielding that veto power appears to be a central calculation in Tory’s decision to stay on until the budget is finalized, one political observer said.
“It’s a play to hold on to what I would characterize as uncollegial and ultimately undemocratic strong powers over the rest of council,” said Myer Siemiatycki, professor emeritus of politics at Toronto Metropolitan University.
The statement from Tory’s office said he met with Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie and city staff Monday morning to discuss how to “best ensure an orderly transition.”
Tory’s bombshell resignation was at odds with the image he attempted to cultivate as a strait-laced moderate conservative.
He took over the mayor’s office in 2014 promising to restore order after the scandal-plagued tenure of former mayor Rob Ford.
He was re-elected to the mayor’s office in October, after saying he had gained the blessing of his family to run for a third term.
Tory said the relationship with the employee in his office developed during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was spending long periods of time away from his wife, Barbara, to whom he has been married for over 40 years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2023.
