Toronto councillors divided as Tory stays in office ahead of budget

John Tory‘s decision to remain Toronto’s mayor while his budget is finalized has created a divide in city council, with one camp working to convince him to stay while others could look to undo some of his proposals, as a heated debate over the fiscal plan looms.

Tory stunned the city with an admission Friday of an “inappropriate relationship” with a former staffer and a plan to resign. But his office said this week that Tory planned to stay to push through his budget, being debated Wednesday.

One of his council allies said Tuesday that he had asked Tory to reconsider his plan to step down.

“That is what we need at this time,” said Coun. John Burnside, who added he was among a group of councillors asking the mayor to give his decision to leave additional thought.

“I think it is essential at this time, when there is so much disunity, so many challenges, fiscal or otherwise, that we have that strong leadership.”

Burnside, who said he had spoken to Tory, noted that the mayor had not made a decision “one way or the other.”

Tory’s office has said further details on his transition out of power were expected after the budget meeting.

The mayor’s decision to stay at the city helm while also indicating he wouldn’t be around to manage the consequences of his budget could be a key point of contention on Wednesday, said one political observer.

Controversial proposals, such as a hike to the police budget and cuts to transit service, will likely face added scrutiny given Tory’s plan to leave, said Peter Graefe, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University.

“The legitimacy is based on the fact that he was elected, in an open election, and that he will be around to be responsible for answering criticisms of that,” he said. “In this instance, he’s not doing the second half of that.”

The budget is the first Tory prepared under new “strong mayor” powers granted by the provincial government. Those powers grant Tory a veto over changes and the ability to push through his fiscal plan with only one-third council support.

If council amends the budget, the mayor has up to 10 days to exercise his veto, according to budget scenarios published by the city. After that, council then has up to 15 days to override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote.

The various possibilities could add weeks to the budget process, raising questions about how long Tory might stay in office.

Coun. Paula Fletcher said she expected debate to be reopened Wednesday on the city’s warming centres.

A motion directing city staff to use their “best efforts” to keep those winter respite shelters open 24-7 until mid-April was defeated last week at city council, with Tory voting against it.

“That will be something that councillors will be asked to show heart tomorrow and find a way to fund things,” Fletcher said.

Tory has lost some of his “moral authority” to continue as mayor, Fletcher said.

Not only was his affair a lapse in Tory’s judgment, she said, but so too was his decision to seek a third term in October’s municipal election.

“He knew he had this issue that could emerge at any time,” she said.

Tory, 68, announced his plan to resign shortly after the Toronto Star reported Friday that he had a months-long affair with a 31-year-old woman who had worked in his office.

The mayor said the relationship with the employee developed during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was spending long periods of time away from his wife, Barbara, to whom he has been married for over 40 years.

Coun. Dianne Saxe said she expected much debate on the budget Wednesday.

“Given the current uncertainty, there is lots of people jockeying for position and attention,” she said.

“What I think we can expect is that council seems to be more difficult, more contentious, there will be more grandstanding than before. And so that will make it harder to do the routine business.”

In addition to a split among Toronto councillors, there were also suggestions the public was divided on Tory’s plan to resign.

2:23 John Tory will delay resignation until after Toronto budget

A series of polling phone calls made to Toronto residents on Monday evening raised questions about whether Tory was gaging public opinion and even reconsidering his position.

A spokesperson for Tory’s office said on Tuesday the polling had not been commissioned by the outgoing mayor.

“I want to be very clear: We saw tweets about these polls last night — that was the first we’ve heard of it,” the spokesperson said. “Mayor Tory and the Mayor’s office have nothing to do with any of these polls.”

Forum Research published the results Tuesday of a random public opinion poll of 1,042 residents that indicated 45 per cent of those surveyed do not think Tory should be resigning, while 43 per cent think he should and 11 per cent don’t know.

Tory said Friday that he would step down in order take time to reflect on his mistakes, rebuild the trust of his family and avoid a period of prolonged controversy at city hall.

— with files from Global News