With John Tory resigning, Ontario PC machine revs up for Toronto mayor race
CBC
Conservative political organizers in Toronto have shifted into high gear in the wake of John Tory's announcement that he will resign as mayor and names of potential candidates are starting to emerge.
The two names being floated the most frequently by Ontario PC and Conservative Party of Canada sources who've spoken with CBC News since Tory's shock announcement on Friday night:
"We'll make sure there's only one credible centre-right candidate," said a senior political organizer with connections to both the Ontario PCs and federal Conservatives. CBC News agreed not to name the organizer to allow them to speak freely about political strategy.
The organizer said the concern among conservatives is that a left-wing candidate could become mayor if multiple centre-right candidates split the vote.
Although mayoral candidates do not run under a political party banner, most high profile candidates have links to provincial or federal parties, or rely on campaign organizers who've worked in party backrooms.
Bradford's political background is not closely tied to the Conservatives. In Beaches-East York, he represents a ward that both provincially and federally swings between New Democrat and Liberal. His mother, Valerie Bradford is the Liberal MP for Kitchener South-Hespeler.
However, three Ontario PC Party sources said people connected to Bradford have been exploring support for him in Conservative political circles.
In an interview on Saturday, CBC News asked Bradford if he's considering running
"What I can tell you is I care deeply about this city," Bradford said. "I think what the city needs right now is a moment of unity, leadership bringing people together. It would be really unfortunate if we saw us descend into a world of politics and spiking the football for personal gain."
Bradford said what's needed in municipal government is leadership that can work with everyone.
"I've always wanted to to work with everyone down at City Hall. I think that's what we're elected to do, work together, get things done," he said
Four Ontario PC Party sources independently told CBC News that Cho is a potential mayoral candidate.
Cho declined comment when contacted on Saturday.
A source close to him said that Cho is flattered by the number of people asking him to run, but hasn't given it any real thought.
Missing baby presumed dead after father charged with killing mother in St. Albert, Alta., police say
A man is facing charges in the death of a young mother in the Edmonton area and the presumed death of their missing nine-month-old daughter.
A school trustee in Prince George, B.C., says she's shaken and scared after being surrounded by police with their guns drawn and then put in handcuffs, in what RCMP say was a case of mistaken identity.
Despite an eleventh hour attempt to secure at least a few more weeks of freedom, a Calgary dentist was handed a three-year prison sentence for a decade-long insurance billing fraud.
Canada Computers & Electronics says a data breach has leaked information about some of its customers, though several say they are unhappy with the scant details the retailer has provided — including how many of them were affected, and when the breach occurred.
The city of Toronto is shutting down a yacht club on the Humber River in Etobicoke that is accused of having negative impacts on the local ecosystem.
Some public safety experts say the N.W.T. government’s failure to regulate the security profession and mandate training for guards is putting people at risk.
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to slap a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aircraft and says his administration will "decertify" planes made by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.
A new non-stop route between Calgary and Abu Dhabi is set to launch later this year, becoming the only direct flight from Western Canada to the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. authorities alerted the RCMP about Ryan Wedding's imminent arrest days before he was taken into U.S. custody in Mexico last week, Commissioner Mike Duheme has told CBC News.
Ontario’s police watchdog says it is not investigating the case of a lawyer who is alleging that multiple Durham Regional Police Service officers slammed her head on a desk without provocation and dragged her to the basement cells of the Oshawa courthouse last week.
Warning: This story deals with suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can find resources for help at the bottom of this story.
Shilo Nosyk was camping with friends and family last summer in Alberta's Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park when her then-15-year-old son's throat started to close.
Daniel Martell, the stepfather of two Nova Scotia children who disappeared nearly nine months ago, has been charged with sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement, CBC News has learned.