Reversing Doug Ford's 2018 cut to Toronto council not necessary, John Tory says
Toronto’s mayor appeared to dismiss a promise by the NDP to restore council to its pre-2018 size when asked Wednesday, saying revisiting the Ford government’s controversial council cutting exercise would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Toronto Mayor John Tory told CP24 that though he was opposed at the time to the move that cut council down from 44 to 22 councillors in 2018, he would not be in favour of revisiting the issue after the provincial election on June 2.
“If you said to me at this time would I be in favour of reopening that whole thing again, I am not sure that I would.”
In a move that Ford did not mention on during the 2018 election campaign, he brought forth a law that cut the size of Toronto city council and ended elections for regional chairs in several areas including Peel.
The move was very unpopular in Toronto and hampered the city’s own municipal election campaign, as it was introduced in the months leading to its own vote, causing confusion over who could actually run for council in 2018 and where.
“In a way you say to yourself look, I was very opposed to the way this was handled without consultation in the middle of an election campaign,” Tory told CP24.
He said a 44-seat council allowed councillors to spend more time dealing with everyday constituency issues.
“It allowed quite frankly for somewhat more numbers of councillors to look after people properly. The local level of government has quite a lot of very intense customer service type issues.”
The protests by opposition NDP politicians and members of the public protesting the move in the public galleries at Queen’s Park forced the speaker of the House to eject virtually everyone from the legislature in fall 2018 when the PC government voted on the measure.
Toronto’s legal challenge of the move ultimately failed.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled Ford’s council cut was constitutional in a split 5-4 decision.
In the 2022 campaign, the Ontario NDP promised to reverse the cuts to council.
But Tory appeared resigned to the fact Doug Ford will win again on June 2, bringing up that Ford threatened to use the Notwithstanding Clause to pass the council cut at the time if courts found it unconstitutional.
“Again the likelihood is that Mr. Ford who indicated in the last go-round he would use the Notwithstanding Clause to force this on the City on Toronto, might do that again.”
He referred to the PC leader as the “premier” despite that outcome not yet being a certainty, although Ford is maintaining a significant lead in most polls.
“It’s my job to work on economic recovery, it’s my job to work with Premier Ford on getting people their jobs back, making sure the city is stronger than ever economically, and not get involved in these sorts of issues.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.