Doug Ford reacts to John Tory affair, resignation announcement

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, alongside a number of former and currently Toronto city councillors have expressed shock and concern over John Tory’s Friday resignation announcement.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, alongside a number of former and currently Toronto city councillors have expressed shock and concern over John Tory’s Friday resignation announcement.

His decision to resign comes after he admitted to engaging in a relationship with a staffer at the office “in a way that did not meet the standards to which I hold myself as mayor and as a family man,” the mayor said during an abruptly held news conference Friday night.

On Saturday morning, Ford thanked Tory, whom he referred to as a friend, for his “many years of public service” and wished him “nothing but the best in the days, weeks and months ahead.”

“John will be remembered as a dedicated and hard-working mayor who served as a steady leader during the most difficult days of the pandemic,” Ford said. “He united Toronto behind an optimistic vision for the future and I will miss working with him to see it come to life.”

On Friday evening, Paula Fletcher, councillor for Ward 14–Toronto Danforth, told CTV News’ Adrian Ghobrial she is “shocked” by Tory’s “terrible lapse of judgement,” after hearing the news of his affair.

“It was a terrible lapse of judgement by the mayor during the pandemic and perhaps to have even decided to have run for a third term knowing that this affair had taken place,” she said.

“But you know what, this is happened now, and hopefully we will have a by-election.”