Toronto mayor admits affair

The mayor of Canada’s most populous city, Toronto, has resigned after admitting to an affair with a former member of staff.

John Tory, 68, told a news conference late Friday that the relationship, which he described as “a serious error in judgment on my part,” had begun during the pandemic.

The unnamed woman left for another job outside of City Hall during the relationship, he said, while the affair was ended “by mutual consent” earlier this year.

“It came at a time when Barb, my wife of 40-plus years, and I were enduring many lengthy periods apart while I carried out my responsibilities during the pandemic,” Tory said after news of the relationship was first reported by the Toronto Star newspaper.

Tory pledged to work with city staff to achieve “an orderly transition.”

His announcement comes just days before the council was due to hold meetings on proposed operating and capital budgets for the city. Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie is expected to be acting mayor until new elections are held.

According to the Toronto Star, the former member of staff involved in the affair is 31 years old, and critics were quick to condemn the relationship.

Tory said he had asked Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner to review the relationship.

The city administration’s code of conduct does not directly refer to workplace relationships but states that council members “should act with integrity and avoid real and apparent conflicts of interest and the improper use of their influence” and “arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence.”

There is no law in Ontario that prohibits workplace romances between consenting adults, including between bosses and employees, the Toronto Star reported.

A lawyer by training, Tory recently won a third term as mayor. He had held the post since 2014, when he succeeded Rob Ford.

Ford was described by Canadian press as “the world’s most infamous mayor” during his four years in office, having been caught on tape smoking crack cocaine and arrested several times for drunken driving or menacing behavior while under influence. He died of cancer in 2016.