John Tory resigning as Toronto mayor after admitting to affair with staffer
John Tory will step down as mayor of Toronto after having a relationship with a member of his office staff during the pandemic.
Tory announced on Friday evening that he will resign after The Toronto Star broke the news of the affair.
He disclosed the relationship to reporters, and said it "did not meet the standards to which I hold myself as mayor and as a family man."
"I recognize that permitting this relationship to develop was a serious error in judgment on my part," Tory said.
"I am deeply sorry and I apologize unreservedly to the people of Toronto and to all of those hurt by my actions, including my staff, my colleagues on City Council and the public service for whom I have such respect."
He also apologized to his wife Barbara Hackett and his family. They have been married since 1978. The couple met when the former Rogers cable executive was in law school. They have four children and six grandchildren.
Tory admitted that he became engaged in the affair when he and his wife “were enduring many lengthy periods apart while I carried out my responsibilities during the pandemic.”
The affair ended by mutual consent earlier this year, Tory said, and the employee had left city hall and secured another job elsewhere.
"While I deeply regret having to step away from a job that I love, in a city that I love even more, I believe in my heart, it is best to fully commit myself to the work that is required to repair these most important relationships," Tory said.
Toronto Mayor John Tory arrives for a press conference at City Hall in Toronto on Friday, February 10, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS Arlyn McAdorey)
He did not take any questions from reporters after reading his prepared statement.
On Saturday morning, the city confirmed that Tory had not yet submitted a resignation letter.
The 68-year-old was first elected mayor in 2014, replacing the late Rob Ford, whose time in office was plagued with scandals. Tory would be re-elected in 2018 and 2022 and was set to become the city's longest-serving mayor had he finished the current term.
"I think it is important, as I always have, for the office of the mayor not to be in any way tarnished and not to see the city government itself put through a period of prolonged controversy arising out of this error in judgment on my part, especially in light of some of the challenges that we face as a city," he said.
The announcement comes days before his first budget under the new strong mayor power was to be debated at a special council meeting on Feb. 15. The city is facing a nearly $1 billion shortfall as a result of financial impacts from the pandemic.
Toronto Mayor John Tory speaks during a press conference at City Hall in Toronto on Friday, February 10, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS Arlyn McAdorey)
Tory said he will work with the city manager, city clerk and Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie in the coming days to ensure an orderly transition.
He added that he had asked the integrity commissioner to review the relationship.
"I want to thank the people of Toronto for trusting me as mayor," Tory said. "It has been the job of a lifetime. And while I've let them down and my family down in this instance, I've nonetheless been deeply honoured by the opportunity to serve the people of this wonderful city."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.