Toronto mayor steps down after relationship with former staffer

By Sara Smart, CNN

Toronto Mayor John Tory has announced he is stepping down from his post after having a relationship with one of his former employees.

The relationship started during the pandemic and ended earlier this year after mutual consent, Tory said in a news conference Friday. The employee landed a job elsewhere outside of City Hall.

At the news conference, Tory apologized to his wife of more than 40 years, Barbara Hackett, as well as to his family and his staff.

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

Tory says he is going to take time to reflect on his mistakes and will work on rebuilding the trust of his family.

“I want to thank the people of Toronto for trusting me as mayor, it has been the job of a lifetime,” he added.

Tory was elected as the 65th mayor of Toronto in 2014 and was reelected in both 2018 and 2022, according to the city of Toronto’s website.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Jennifer Feldman contributed to this report.