Toronto Mayor John Tory Resigns After Confirming Affair With Former Staffer

Toronto Mayor John Tory has resigned from his position.

The Toronto Star reports that he made the decision after admitting to having a relationship with a former staffer became public. The months-long affair happened during the pandemic and “ended by mutual consent earlier this year,” according to a letter from Tory’s lawyer, Peter A. Downward.

The ex-staffer is a 31-year-old woman who served as an advisor to Tory. Her identity isn’t known. She apparently left her job at the mayor’s office in 2021 for a job outside city hall. While there is no definitive guidance for council members who want to pursue romantic relationships, the Toronto city council’s Code of Conduct seems to frown upon it.

“The relationship was a serious error of judgment on the Mayor’s part. It came at a time when he and his wife of more than 40 years were enduring many lengthy periods apart while he carried out responsibilities during the pandemic,” the letter added. The woman and other employees traveled with Tory for work to Los Angeles, Ottawa, Austin, Texas, New York City, and Europe from 2018 to 2020.

Tory was re-elected to his office less than fourth months ago. The 68-year-old has been in office since 2014, after campaigning “to restore respectability to city hall after the scandal-ridden administration of his predecessor Rob Ford,” the Star writes.

He’s been married to his wife, Barbara Hackett since 1978 and the couple shares four children and has six grandchildren.