Freeland says John Tory stepping down ‘the right thing to do’; Ford opposes resignation

Amid Toronto Mayor John Tory’s decision to resign from office as the mayor after he admitted to having an affair with a staffer, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has emerged as one of the strongest advocates urging the mayor to hold his position as the city mayor.

When asked about the Toronto Mayor’s shocking decision on Wednesday, Ford asserted, “That’s going to be up to the mayor and his family…There’s your private family and then there’s business and I can tell you Mayor Tory has been a phenomenal partner.”

“He’s been a really good mayor for the City of Toronto and just in my opinion, it’s not time to change,” The Ontario Premier further opined.

“Is he the best thing that we have in Toronto? Yes, he is the best thing. And let’s not upset the apple cart for a personal issue he’s dealing with. He’s a really, really good mayor. And let’s move forward…Folks, I’ll tell you, if a left-wing mayor gets in there, we’re toast. I’ll tell you, it would be a disaster, in my opinion.”

On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Wednesday stated that stepping down from office was the right thing to do for Mayor John Tory.

“Like very many Torontonians, I was very surprised, even shocked by what we learned on Friday night…He took responsibility for that mistake. He apologized for that mistake. And, he took responsibility by resigning…That was the right thing to do, and that was the necessary thing to do,” Freeland stated to reporters on Wednesday.

On Friday, Toronto Mayor John Tory revealed he had been in an affair with a staffer. Apologizing for the incident, Tory announced his decision to step down from office. Tory, as of yet, has not handed in his resignation, according to media reports. The Toronto Mayor also presided over the City Council budget meeting on Wednesday, where he was met with backlash from protestors, forcing the meeting to go to recess twice before starting intently.