Jennifer McKelvie to take over as Toronto’s Mayor

At an abruptly called press conference in city hall Friday night, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced his intention to step down from the position after admitting to having a relationship with a staffer. While the mayor has yet to formally resign, Tory has stated that the process is to begin in “the coming days.”

According to The City of Toronto Act, which details provisions for when a mayor decides to step down, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie is to hold office for now, until a byelection is scheduled for the position.

According to the act, the city council is to meet up to formally declare the position vacant and has 60 days to pass a by-law for the polls after.

After a byelection is announced, candidates must be given a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 60 days to put their name in the running of the mayoral election, according to the act. Thereafter, the election is scheduled for 45 days later, which would suggest that McKelvie is likely to hold the position for the next few months.

Originally elected as the councillor for Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park in 2018, McKelvie is currently in her second term in the office. She is also the chair of Toronto’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee and part of the Toronto Hydro Corporation Board of Directors and the Toronto Zoo Board of Management.