After having a relationship with a member of his office staff during the pandemic, Tory will resign as mayor of Toronto.
He announced his resignation during a surprise news conference on Friday evening, saying the relationship "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."
As well as apologizing to his wife Barbara Hackett and family, he also expressed regret. Their marriage dates back to 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.”
"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.
"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.
"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."
In response to John Tory's resignation announcement on Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, as well as a number of former and current Toronto city councillors, expressed shock and concern.
Ford thanked Tory, whom he called 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.”
Paula Fletcher, councilor for Ward 14-Toronto Danforth, on Friday evening spoke with CTV News. She said that she was “shocked” by Tory’s “terrible lapse of judgement,” after hearing the news of his affair.
Jennifer McKelvie is now the acting Mayor of Toronto.
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