John Howard Tory was born on May 28,1954 and is a Canadian former politician who served as the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023.
64 Facts About John Tory
2.
John Tory served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007 while he was leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party from 2004 to 2009.
3.
John Tory was the volunteer chair of the non-profit group CivicAction from 2010 to 2014.
4.
On October 27,2014, John Tory was elected mayor of Toronto, defeating incumbent mayor Rob Ford's brother, councillor Doug Ford and former councillor and member of Parliament Olivia Chow.
5.
John Tory was elected for a third term as mayor on October 24,2022, after defeating prominent urbanist Gil Penalosa.
6.
John Tory announced his intention to imminently resign as mayor on February 10,2023, after admitting to having an affair with a staffer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
7.
John Tory's grandfather was lawyer John S D Tory and his great-grandfather founded Sun Life of Canada.
8.
John Tory attended the University of Toronto Schools, at the time a publicly-funded high school affiliated with the University of Toronto.
9.
John Tory received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1975.
10.
John Tory received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978 from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.
11.
John Tory was called to the bar in Ontario in 1980.
12.
From 1972 to 1979, John Tory was hired by family friend Ted Rogers as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting's Toronto radio stations CFTR and CHFI.
13.
From 1981 to 1985, John Tory served in the office of the premier of Ontario, Bill Davis, as principal secretary to the premier and associate secretary of the cabinet.
14.
John Tory supported Dianne Cunningham's bid to lead the Ontario PCs in 1990.
15.
John Tory later served as tour director and campaign chairman to then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and managed the 1993 federal election campaign of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell.
16.
John Tory stepped down after Ted Rogers announced that he would stay on as president and CEO of parent company Rogers Communications.
17.
John Tory served as the ninth commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1996 to 2000.
18.
John Tory continued to have an interest in being a broadcaster throughout his life and, as a Rogers executive, hosted a public affairs program on Rogers Cable's community access channel for many years.
19.
John Tory held the traditional suburban conservative vote that had helped to elect Mel Lastman in the 1997 mayor's campaign, but lost the overall vote to Miller in a close race.
20.
In March 2004, John Tory hinted that he would be seeking the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, after Ernie Eves announced his intention to resign from that post.
21.
The provincial PC leadership election was announced for September 18,2004, and John Tory made his candidacy official on May 6,2004.
22.
John Tory defeated Flaherty with 54 per cent on the second ballot.
23.
When Flaherty later left provincial politics to seek a seat in the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, John Tory endorsed his former rival in the 2006 election; Flaherty was elected and was appointed the federal minister of finance.
24.
John Tory told the media in November 2004 that he would seek election to the legislature in time for the spring 2005 legislative session.
25.
Later in the campaign, in the face of heavy opposition, John Tory promised a free vote on the issue.
26.
In particular, John Tory focused on the Liberals' 2003 election and 2004 pre-budget promise not to raise taxes and their subsequent imposition of a health care tax.
27.
John Tory was defeated in Don Valley West by the incumbent Ontario Liberal MPP, Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne.
28.
John Tory received 66.9 percent support, lower than internal tracking which showed him in the more comfortable 70 percent range.
29.
Three hours after the leadership review vote, John Tory announced to the delegates that he would be staying on as leader.
30.
John Tory came under heavy criticism from several party members following this delay, with his opponents signalling that they would continue to call for an end to what they called his 'weak' leadership.
31.
John Tory announced his resignation from the party leadership the next day and was succeeded by Bob Runciman as interim leader; Runciman had served twice as leader of the opposition during the two times John Tory did not have a seat in the legislature.
32.
Several weeks following the end of his provincial political career, John Tory announced he was returning to broadcasting, to host a Sunday evening phone-in show on Toronto talk radio station CFRB.
33.
The John Tory Show simulcast on CHAM in Hamilton and CKTB in St Catharines.
34.
John Tory was looking for opportunities in business, law or the non-profit sector.
35.
John Tory was considering challenging incumbent Toronto Mayor David Miller in the 2010 municipal election as was Ontario Deputy Premier George Smitherman.
36.
John Tory registered as a candidate for the 2014 Toronto mayoral election on February 24,2014.
37.
On October 27,2014, John Tory was elected as mayor of Toronto.
38.
John Tory spent his first day meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne, emphasizing the importance of working with other levels of government.
39.
Minnan-Wong remained in the position for two terms, but did not seek re-election in 2022, and John Tory selected Councillor Jennifer McKelvie as deputy mayor for his third term.
40.
On May 1,2018, John Tory registered his candidacy for re-election.
41.
John Tory was re-elected to a third term in 2022, defeating urbanist Gil Penalosa.
42.
John Tory has sat on the Toronto Police Services Board since his election as mayor in 2014.
43.
On June 7,2015, John Tory called for an end to the policy, describing it as "illegitimate, disrespectful and hurtful" and stating it had "eroded the public trust".
44.
John Tory claimed that a reduction in budget was likely if the program was successful.
45.
John Tory initially said that the proposal would cost $8 billion, with the city covering $2.5 billion, funded through tax increment financing, and that SmartTrack would be completed in seven years.
46.
In November 2016, John Tory's announced that he would support tolls on the two municipally-owned expressways, the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, which would have raised roughly $200 million annually.
47.
In 2014, John Tory selected Councillor Ana Bailao to be the chair of the affordable housing committee.
48.
John Tory was granted the power to veto council decisions which do not align with priorities set by the province.
49.
On November 16,2022, the province proposed further changes the powers of the mayor, introducing the Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022 which would allow by-laws to be passed with only one-third of council voting in favour if John Tory declared it to be in line with provincial priorities.
50.
At a press conference, John Tory stated that when speaking to the public, he often hears complaints relating to housing and community safety, but nobody has complained about the new powers.
51.
The Globe and Mail's Marcus Gee questioned why John Tory had chosen not revealed his plans to the public, and described the changes as "offensive in principle and dangerous in practice".
52.
The Toronto Star's editorial board called on John Tory to reject the new powers.
53.
In December 2022, John Tory asked the provincial government to amend the legislation to include a sunset clause after his term ends in 2026.
54.
John Tory has promised to keep property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation.
55.
On February 10,2023, the Toronto Star broke the news that during the COVID-19 pandemic, John Tory had a months-long affair with a former staffer that ended earlier in 2023.
56.
John Tory has been married to Barbara Hackett, a home builder and renovator, since 1978.
57.
John Tory has two brothers, Michael and Jeffrey, and one sister, Jennifer.
58.
One of John Tory's ancestors, James John Tory, was a soldier in the 71st Scottish Regiment.
59.
John Tory was captured and held as a prisoner of war during the American Revolution.
60.
John Tory later settled in Nova Scotia in the 1780s.
61.
John Tory's maternal grandmother, Helen Yvonne Solomon, was born in 1909 to a Russian Jewish family that had immigrated to Canada six years earlier and settled in Toronto.
62.
In 2012, John Tory was made a member of the Order of Ontario in recognition for being "a consummate champion for the Greater Toronto Region as a founding member and chair of CivicAction and chairs and volunteers on countless fundraising campaigns".
63.
John Tory is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and holds a commission as King's Counsel.
64.
In 2011, John Tory was awarded a Harry Jerome Award for his work as co-chair of DiverseCity.