John Tory’s poor judgment leaves city in limbo

John Tory swept to power last October for an impressive third term as Toronto mayor after an election campaign in which he stressed his political track record, his integrity and a caution to voters that “now is not the time for inexperience.”

On Friday night, it all came tumbling down.

Barely an hour after the Toronto Star published a story on its website about an office relationship involving the mayor, Tory held a hastily arranged news conference at city hall to make the stunning announcement that he would resign.

The Star reported that the relationship was with a 31-year-old woman who had been an advisor in his office and that it began during the pandemic and continued through last summer and fall. That’s the very time when Tory was campaigning for re-election, pitching Toronto residents on the need to return him to office to enable him to finish his agenda.

“I am deeply sorry and apologize unreservedly to the people of Toronto and to all those hurt by my actions including my staff, my colleagues and the public service,” Tory said Friday night.

Residents have every right to be angry at this betrayal of trust, at the resulting disruptions, even the cost of running another election for mayor mere months after the last vote.

As Tory declared, it was a serious error in judgment.

There is an irony that such a fate would befall Tory, who was first voted into office in 2014 by residents looking for a serious political leader after the buffoonery of former mayor Rob Ford’s reign. And yet here he is, departing under a cloud of his own making.

We acknowledge there is a painful personal consequence to this. Tory, a husband, father and grandfather, said he wants “to do the work of rebuilding the trust of my family.” Family repair is hard work and we wish him well in those endeavours.

He had no choice but to step aside. The city could ill afford the distraction if he had remained mayor or the unacceptable signal it would send that such conduct carried no consequences.

But now, the city, its politicians and residents, are left coping with the fallout. At a time when pressing issues such as affordability, housing and homelessness and safety on the TTC demand our full attention, the city is left to sort out the mess left by Tory’s actions.

His departure comes just days before council is to approve its 2023 budget. After that, Tory was planning to embark on a campaign to put Toronto and other Canadian cities on a sounder, more sustainable financial footing.

Part of that effort would involve discussions with the provincial and federal governments on the imperative to rethink municipal finances — now overly reliant on property taxes — and the need to tap other revenue streams to meet the increasingly complex and costly demands, such as homelessness. As the mayor of Canada’s largest city, Tory was well-placed to lead those discussions.

That is just one of the many issues left in limbo.

It falls to Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie to take the helm of the city as acting mayor. A byelection will be held to choose a new mayor within 60 days after the position is declared vacant.

No doubt Tory’s likelihood of winning last October’s mayoral election prompted many potential contenders to stay out of that contest. Now the coming byelection will be wide open, producing a mayoralty race we hope will be a vigorous debate about the issues confronting the city and proposed solutions.

During his time in office, Tory accomplished good things. He proved a steady hand during the pandemic and, more recently, proposed a strategy to encourage a greater diversity of housing.

Yet, as Star columnist Edward Keenan noted, there were contradictions. The professed consensus seeker who sought and got undemocratic powers to overrule council’s will. A politician known for his boring stability brought down by reckless judgment. A mayor who boasted that he had the “job of a lifetime,” only to leave the city in a precarious position because of his necessary departure.

It is an unfortunate conclusion to Tory’s record of public service. Sadly, though, this is the biggest story of Tory’s career. But, with his actions, it was an ending he wrote for himself.

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