FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: TORONTO MAYOR JOHN TORY RESIGNS OVER AFFAIR WITH FORMER STAFFER!

Toronto Mayor John Tory announced his resignation – what happens next? Voters in Toronto will be returning to the polls just months after the October municipal election to vote in a successor to John Tory.

In a shocking move Friday night, Tory — who has been mayor since 2014 — announced he would resign after having an affair with a staffer.

Tory said the relationship did “not meet the standards to which I hold myself as mayor and as a family man.” According to Tory, the relationship began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he and his long-time wife were spending “lengthy periods apart.”

Tory said he will be stepping down in order to “reflect on my mistakes” and “do the work of rebuilding the trust of my family.” The revelation will leave Toronto without the mayor it elected in October and the expense of another election in the very near future.

How does the resignation process work?

While Tory announced his plans to resign at a hastily scheduled news conference on Friday evening, the official process is more complicated. He must send a letter of resignation to Toronto’s city clerk, which will allow city council to act on the matter at its next meeting.

A spokesperson confirmed to Global News that Tory had not yet submitted a letter of resignation as of 11 a.m. on Saturday and “remains mayor” for the time being.

“Once a resignation notice is received, the city will be able to advise on timelines and next steps,” the spokesperson said.

At the meeting that follows a resignation — the next council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15 — the mayoral seat must be declared vacant.'”

“There are almost two steps to it,” municipal lawyer John Mascarin explained to Global News. “He resigns and then the city says, ‘We’ve got the resignation, we’re declaring the office vacant.”

Declaring the office vacant starts the clock on an election to replace Tory.