Toronto city councillor Joe Cressy announces resignation, joins George Brown College

Toronto City Councillor Joe Cressy is making a career change, leaving municipal politics for a new position at George Brown College.

Cressy, who currently serves as the chair of the Toronto Board of Health and as a city councillor, announced his resignation at a press conference on Tuesday.

He said his final city council meeting will be this week, and his final board of health meeting will be on Monday.

Cressy has served as a city councillor, representing the people of Spadina-Fort York, since 2014.

Cressy said he will be taking a new position at George Brown College as senior vice president for external relations, communications and real estate development.

Cressy said he believes in the “power of municipal government.”

“However, I also believe in entering politics effecting change and moving on to contribute elsewhere,” he said. “It’s time for a new councillor’s voice at City Hall, and this October residents of Spadina-Fort York will have a chance to elect their new representative.”

Through the pandemic, serving as chair of the board of health, Cressy has overseen the work of Toronto Public Health, and worked alongside the medical officer of health and Toronto Mayor John Tory.

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He was also a member of the Toronto COVID-19 strategic command team and immunization task force, which helped lead the city’s response to the pandemic.

Tory thanked Cressy for his work as a councillor and during the pandemic, saying he has been “very, very important” to the city’s COVID-19 response.

“He was one of the leaders and we didn’t let politics or ideology, get in the way of pandemic response,” Tory said. “We followed the public health advice together, we didn’t pick fights with other people, we took the all hands on deck approach and engaged a lot of people up there in the community at the community level, who were trusted (and) who were going to be more trusted than us as politicians.”

Tory said “a lot of that came from the leadership” of Cressy.

Last year, Cressy announced he would not seek re-election.

“In fact, I won’t be running for any election — for mayor, provincially or federally — I’m leaving elected office,” he told Global News in October.

At the time, Cressy said the COVID-19 pandemic had taken an “emotional toll” on him, and that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Cressy thanked the people of Spadina-Fort York, but said that it’s “time for a new chapter.”

“It’s time for a grand adventure,” he said, adding that he “cannot wait” to join George Brown College.

Dr. Gervan Fearon, president of George Brown College, said Cressy will be a “powerful advocate for the unique and critical role the college can play and plays to serve local communities, promote regional economic development and opportunities, as well as to engage strategic partners in the future of the college as well as the City of Toronto.”

Fearon said in his new role, Cressy will focus on “building partnerships” and “supporting the strategic direction for advancing George Brown’s commitment to city building and community development.”