February 11, 2023, Toronto: Mayor John Tory has stunned Toronto by resigning after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a woman who had worked in his office.
Tory, 68, announced the end of his mayoralty, less than four months after he was easily re-elected to a third term, in a brief address to reporters Friday evening at city hall. It came one hour after the Star published an investigation that revealed his misconduct.
Tory had admitted a “serious error of judgment” by having a relationship with the 31-year-old former staffer, which was ongoing while he campaigned for re-election last summer and autumn.
“I’m deeply sorry, and I apologize unreservedly to the people of Toronto and to all those hurt by my actions,” Tory told reporters, adding that the liaison started during the pandemic while the woman working in his office.
“During the course of our relationship some time ago, the employee decided to pursue employment outside city hall and secured a job elsewhere. I recognize that permitting this relationship to develop was a serious error in judgment on my part,” he said.
“It came at a time when Barb, my wife of 40-plus years, and I endured many lengthy periods apart while I carried out my responsibilities during the pandemic. “As a result, I’ve decided that I will step down as mayor so that I can take the time to reflect on my mistakes and to do the work of rebuilding the trust with my family.”
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie will become acting mayor
Tory said he would work with Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, the Scarborough city councillor who will become acting mayor, as well as the city manager and city clerk to ensure a smooth transition as he leaves office after almost ten years. “Most of all, I apologize to my wife Barb and to my family whom I’ve let down more than anyone else,” Tory said, thanking Torontonians for giving him “the job of a lifetime” while begging their forgiveness for not living up to his own standard.
“I believe that I did some good for the city, that I did make a positive difference for the city that I truly love, particularly during the pandemic.” Earlier Friday, Tory’s lawyer Peter A. Downward confirmed the months-long relationship. Multiple sources identified the former employee to the Star as a 31-year-old woman who was an adviser in Tory’s office.
According to city reports and expense forms, the woman was among staffers who accompanied Tory on trade missions and governance trips to Los Angeles, Ottawa, Austin, Texas, New York City and Europe between 2018 and 2020. She left the mayor’s office sometime after early 2021.
Under the new Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, which passed last September, “if a vacancy occurs in the office of head of council, the city shall … require a byelection to be held … to fill the vacancy.” The law says such a byelection must be called within 60 days after “a declaration of vacancy is made.” That means Toronto could have a newly elected mayor this spring.
Coun. Jon Burnside (Ward 16, Don Valley East), whom the mayor tapped to chair the TTC board this term, said he was “shocked” and “devastated” by Tory’s resignation. “I worry for the city,” Burnside said, “because he provided stable leadership and vision, and had the ability to work across ideological lines.”
The councillor said city hall was in for an unpredictable few weeks as potential mayoral candidates, including some council members, start jockeying to replace Tory.
Coun. Paula Fletcher (Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth) said Tory exhibited poor judgment not only by having the relationship, but also by deciding to run for re-election while doing so.
Council is set to debate Tory’s budget, the first under the new strong-mayor powers granted to Toronto, at a meeting next Wednesday. Fletcher said Tory’s announcement has “thrown everything into a bit of a turmoil” and council will have to “be very judicious, very mature, and really have the best interests of the city at heart” to get through the budget process.
She said council took an even-handed approach during the Ford years, and “I’m hoping we can act in the same way in this.” “We’ve gotta roll with it over the next bit.”
Coun. Jamaal Myers, the newly elected representative for Scarborough North, said: “We are all literally in shock. I think the city is in shock.
“It is just a very sad day for the city and I feel really sad for the mayor and his family tonight.” Tory’s departure also comes as he was preparing to launch a national “crusade” to force the provincial and federal governments to give big cities a slice of either the income or sales tax to end chronic funding shortfalls made worse by the pandemic.
He was given high praise from fellow politicians, city officials and regular Torontonians for helping lead Canada’s biggest city through the COVID-19 ordeal, which saw Toronto become one of the most vaccinated big cities on earth. Tory was first elected mayor in 2014 on a promise to restore respectability to city hall after the scandal-ridden administration of his predecessor Rob Ford.
Toronto city council’s Code of Conduct doesn’t specifically address romantic relationships between council members like the mayor and the staff who work for them. In general, the code states that “members should perform their duties and arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence and bears close public scrutiny.”
There is no law in Ontario that prohibits workplace romances between consenting adults, including between bosses and employees. According to the city’s Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination policy, by which council members are supposed to abide, every employee is entitled to equal treatment free from sexual harassment, which under Ontario law includes any unwelcome sexual advance from someone in a position to confer a benefit or promotion.
“If you are a boss and have an intimate relationship with a staff person that reports to you, especially a person much younger than you, that is an abuse of power,” gender justice advocate and consultant Farrah Khan wrote on Twitter.
The tweet was retweeted by Khan’s partner, Kristyn Wong-Tam, a former city councillor who moved to provincial politics last year and now serves as MPP for Toronto Centre. Tory has been married to Barbara Hackett for almost 45 years. They met in 1976 at York University, where both studied law. Married in May 1978, they have four grown children, the youngest of whom is in his mid-30s, and six grandchildren.
