Tory has not resigned, still mayor of Toronto
John Tory remains the mayor of Canada’s largest municipality, the city secretary confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Saturday.
On Friday night, The Toronto Star reported that Tory had an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with one of his employees.
Less than an hour later, the 68-year-old mayor called a press conference and announced that he would step down in the coming days.
However, Tory has yet to officially submit his resignation.
“The Mayor has not submitted his resignation to the City Clerk at this time and remains the Mayor,” a city spokesman said Saturday morning.
It’s currently unclear when Tory plans to do that. The city said that after receiving the resignation, it will advise on timing and next steps.
On Saturday morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford released a statement thanking Tory for his time in office.
“John will be remembered as a dedicated and hard-working mayor who served as a steadfast leader during the most difficult days of the pandemic,” Ford said. to see it come to life.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR TORONTO?
Under the City of Toronto statute, upon formally resigning, the city council shall declare the office of mayor vacant. This could happen as soon as next Wednesday when councilors convene a special meeting to debate the 2023 budget.
Under the new strong mayor law, the City of Toronto and the City of Ottawa are required to hold a by-election to elect the mayor seat. Until then, Vice Mayor Jennifer McKelvie will take over.
Once a by-election is called, the next step is for the city clerk to set a date on which candidates can submit their nominations, according to the Municipal Elections Act. Election day will take place 45 days after the nomination date.
Tory’s departure comes at a critical time for the city as this year’s budget has yet to be approved. With the mayor solely responsible for the budget, it remains to be seen what happens to Tory’s proposal, including the controversial police budget increase.