Integrity complaint lodged against John Tory over robocalls placed on election day
A complaint was filed with Toronto’s Office of the Integrity Commissioner Monday regarding John Tory’s use of robocalls during the October municipal election.
The complaint, filed by Parthi Kandavel, an 8-year Toronto School Board Trustee who ran for council in Ward 20 - Scarborough Southwest, alleges Tory used his power as mayor to influence the results in his ward.
In the robocalls, placed on election day, Tory is said to have referred to himself as “Mayor John Tory” rather than “mayoral candidate John Tory,’ and to have endorsed Incumbent candidate Gary Crawford.
“In brief, Mr. Tory breached sections 7.1 and 8.0 [of the Code of Conduct for Council Members] by improperly using the influence of his office when he referred to himself as “Mayor John Tory” in a robocall in support of the election campaign of Gary Crawford in October 2022,” the complaint reads.
“It is a core principle of the Code of Conduct that members of council, including Mr. Tory, will not use any resources or privileges of any kind available to them by virtue of their office to further private interests,” it says.
Ward 20 would eventually go to Crawford, but the vote was close – Crawford won with approximately 35 per cent of the vote, while Kandavel secured approximately 30 per cent.
Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner, Jonathan Batty, confirmed to CTV News Toronto his office had received the complaint, but underlined he has not decided yet whether to investigate the matter.
“At this point, I have no further information to provide,” Batty said.
When reached for comment Monday, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said they’ve also received a copy of the complaint.
“The Mayor respects the Integrity Commissioner and his process, and in consideration of this, we will not be making further comment at this time,” Don Peat said.
Ultimately, Kandavel says the complaint is “not about the outcome of the election, but rather about the spirit of Toronto’s local democracy and the integrity of our public officials.”
Tory is currently under investigation over a separate complaint initially filed by civic activist Adam Chaleff in July, who asked Commissioner Batty to look into Tory’s relationship with Rogers after an alleged conflict of interest during a June vote on the ActiveTO program. The results of that investigation, paused for the duration of the municipal eletion, are pending.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.