‘It breaks my heart to leave,’ departing Toronto mayor says
John Tory wants to be remembered for keeping the city of Toronto stable and moving forward, though the outgoing mayor acknowledged Friday that the scandal that led him to resign will mar his legacy.
In his final remarks as mayor, Tory said he wants to be known for building new lines of transit, getting housing built, keeping taxes affordable while investing in front-line services and demonstrating respect for all of Toronto’s communities.
“It breaks my heart to leave. But leaving was the right thing to do, hard as it may be,” he said.
Tory shocked the city of Toronto a week ago by announcing his resignation after admitting he had an “inappropriate relationship with a former staffer.
Despite announcing his resignation last Friday, Tory stayed on to see his budget approved by council this week.
Speaking at city hall on Friday, minutes before the clock ran out on his tenure, Tory thanked his council colleagues, staff and those in public service for their dedication, as well as the people of Toronto.
He said he will be focused on rebuilding trust with his family, but will also be looking for other ways to contribute “in the days ahead.” He handed over his mayoral powers to Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who, he said, has the intelligence, dedication and experience to step into the role.
Speaking after Tory, McKelvie said she is committed to fulfilling the duties and obligations of her new role and will continue the work Tory was doing. “I will be making sure that we continue to deliver on the priorities on which mayor Tory received a mandate from voters last October: keeping our city safe, getting housing built, getting transit built and making sure the nuts and bolts city services continue to be delivered in the best possible way,” she said.
“Residents can rest assured that my entire focus at this time is ensuring a smooth transition and continued good governance,” said McKelvie, who reiterated she will not run for mayor.
McKelvie said Toronto’s city clerk is working to prepare for a byelection, which will be the largest ever held in Canada.
The city clerk is prepared to bring a report to the next scheduled council meeting on March 29 that will allow councillors to formally declare the mayor’s office vacant and pass a bylaw to initiate the byelection.
A nomination period would open the next day and last anywhere between 30 and 60 days, with the mayoral byelection held 45 days after that.