John Tory makes last statement before officially resigning as mayor after admitting to extramarital affair
CBC
John Tory handed over his mayoral powers at Toronto city hall on Friday, saying leaving the job breaks his heart but it is the "right thing to do" given recent events.
Tory thanked his staff, the people of Toronto, and the city's public service but made no direct mention in his statement of the reason for his decision to step down: an extramarital affair with a former staffer. He took no questions from reporters.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie told reporters immediately after Tory's last public statement that she burst into tears when he told her of the relationship and he was going to resign. She said she asked him to take a leave of absence but he said no.
McKelvie said she has spoken to the city clerk and a report on the impending byelection will be delivered to city council at its March 9 meeting.
The clock on Tory's mayoral tenure ran out at 5 p.m., one week after he shocked the city by announcing his resignation and admitted he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a former staffer. He announced he would resign shortly after details of the relationship were first published by the Toronto Star.
Tory began speaking at 4:30 p.m. You can watch his last public statement as mayor in this story.
In a memo to city councillors Friday morning, he thanked his colleagues and called public life "a sacrifice."
"Public life is a sacrifice for anyone and one you have made to contribute to a better future for our city," he wrote.
"As for me, you can be sure I will be an engaged, contributing citizen trying to ensure, as you are, a bright future for our great city," he said in the memo.
His undoing comes just months after he handily won a third-term re-election bid, promising steady leadership in uncertain times. His resignation brings about a period of political uncertainty in Toronto, marshalling an indefinite stint of interim leadership and an eventual mayoral byelection.
Around 6:30 a.m. Friday, a man threw multiple eggs at Tory's office window at city hall, before walking away.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie is set to assume some mayoral powers at 5 p.m., when Tory's resignation takes effect. She says she won't be running to replace him.
In the memo, Tory said to "ensure good governance" he was delegating to the city manager authority to hire most senior officials and amend the city's organizational structure.
Council will get the authority to hire deputy city managers and the city solicitor, as part of what Tory's office is calling a standard transition process.
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