Toronto Mayor John Tory resigns after affair with staffer exposed

A Canadian mayor abruptly left his post Friday just one hour after a local newspaper exposed his affair with a staffer more than half his age.

Toronto Mayor John Tory, 68, admitted to having a relationship with a 31-year-old advisor and said he was stepping down so he could “take the time to reflect on my mistakes.”

“I recognize that permitting this relationship to develop was a serious error in judgment on my part,” Tory said at a brief press conference.

“I think it is important as I always had for the office of the mayor not to be in any way tarnished, and not to see the city government itself, but through a period of prolonged controversy, arising out of this error of judgment on my part, especially in light of some of the challenges facing the city.”

Tory’s announcement came one hour after The Star broke the news that the mayor developed a relationship with an employee during the pandemic.

The woman’s name was not revealed, but sources told the outlet she is a 31-year-old woman who was an advisor in Tory’s office.

Tory claimed the relationship developed during a time he and his wife of more than 40 years, Barbara, were spending “many lengthy periods apart.”

The former mayor said the staffer terminated her City Hall employment during their affair, but that the relationship ended “by mutual consent earlier this year.”

Advertisement

He said he would work with city employees and Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvey to ensure an orderly transition to a new administration.

“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 (family) relationships as well,” Tory said.