A meeting of the mayor’s executive committee at city hall on Tuesday marked the twilight of Tory time and the dawning of the age of Olivia.The gathering of executive members, who were hand-picked by John Tory before his mayoral resignation in February, is the last meeting before Olivia Chow takes office on Wednesday and ponders which councillors will form her inner circle.Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who functioned as acting mayor after Tory’s departure, told reporters before the meeting that she enjoyed representing the city at 120 events in every ward but the role was not easy.“The most heartbreaking part of this job is the morning phone calls that you got from the fire chief saying that there’s been a fatality, or the calls you got from the police chief saying that an innocent bystander in the city has been murdered,” she said, adding council must help Chow deal with public safety concerns.Asked if her stint in charge inspired her to run for mayor in 2026, McKelvie said: “I’m looking forward to vacation at the end of the month. Look, I’m going to miss seeing residents across Toronto, but I really am looking forward to serving my community of Scarborough-Rouge Park 100 per cent of the time …“As for the end of the Tory era, sure, I’m going to miss seeing his Raptors blazer up there at community events. But I also know that we haven’t seen the last of John Tory and we’ll be seeing much more of him in the future.”When he quit after the Star revealed his relationship with a woman that started when she was a junior member of his staff, Tory, 69, said he hoped to have a chance to continue public service, but he has not revealed any plans.Tory endorsed Ana Bailão for mayor, as did McKelvie and other councillors including Shelley Carroll, Nick Mantas, Chris Moise and Frances Nunziata. Bailão finished second to Chow.McKelvie said “people take hard lines during election campaigns,” but she expects council to pull together under Chow, as it did during the pandemic under Tory, to meet the city’s many challenges, including homelessness and housing affordability, public safety and the city’s pandemic-ravaged finances.On Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the city council chamber Chow will say the declaration of office to city clerk John Elvidge and make her first remarks as mayor of Toronto. The event will be broadcast on YouTube. Chow will serve out the remainder of Tory’s term, until the autumn of 2026.David Rider is the Star’s City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider
A meeting of the mayor’s executive committee at city hall on Tuesday marked the twilight of Tory time and the dawning of the age of Olivia.
The gathering of executive members, who were hand-picked by John Tory before his mayoral resignation in February, is the last meeting before Olivia Chow takes office on Wednesday and ponders which councillors will form her inner circle.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who functioned as acting mayor after Tory’s departure, told reporters before the meeting that she enjoyed representing the city at 120 events in every ward but the role was not easy.
“The most heartbreaking part of this job is the morning phone calls that you got from the fire chief saying that there’s been a fatality, or the calls you got from the police chief saying that an innocent bystander in the city has been murdered,” she said, adding council must help Chow deal with public safety concerns.
Asked if her stint in charge inspired her to run for mayor in 2026, McKelvie said: “I’m looking forward to vacation at the end of the month. Look, I’m going to miss seeing residents across Toronto, but I really am looking forward to serving my community of Scarborough-Rouge Park 100 per cent of the time …
“As for the end of the Tory era, sure, I’m going to miss seeing his Raptors blazer up there at community events. But I also know that we haven’t seen the last of John Tory and we’ll be seeing much more of him in the future.”
When he quit after the Star revealed his relationship with a woman that started when she was a junior member of his staff, Tory, 69, said he hoped to have a chance to continue public service, but he has not revealed any plans.
Tory endorsed Ana Bailão for mayor, as did McKelvie and other councillors including Shelley Carroll, Nick Mantas, Chris Moise and Frances Nunziata. Bailão finished second to Chow.
McKelvie said “people take hard lines during election campaigns,” but she expects council to pull together under Chow, as it did during the pandemic under Tory, to meet the city’s many challenges, including homelessness and housing affordability, public safety and the city’s pandemic-ravaged finances.
On Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the city council chamber Chow will say the declaration of office to city clerk John Elvidge and make her first remarks as mayor of Toronto. The event will be broadcast on YouTube.
Chow will serve out the remainder of Tory’s term, until the autumn of 2026.
David Rider is the Star’s City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider
Leave a Reply