Doug Ford Reacts To The John Tory Scandal & Says He Doesn't Want Him To Resign As Mayor
"If a left-wing mayor gets in there, we're toast." 🍞
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has weighed in on the scandal surrounding Toronto Mayor John Tory and his affair with a staffer.
Ford was asked about Tory and his decision to resign as mayor during a press conference on Wednesday, and made it clear he doesn't think now is the right time for him to step away from City Hall.
"Well, that's gonna be up to the mayor and as family," said Ford, as he referred to the very public scandal as a "very private" matter. "There's your private family, and then there's business and I can tell you, Mayor Tory has been a phenomenal partner. He's been a really good mayor for the City of Toronto."
Ford said in his opinion, "it's not time to change," and carried on with a left-field comment that "everything's going ticket boo in Toronto, working well with the federal and provincial government."
The Premier was pressed further on the topic of Tory and the ongoing debate of whether he should stay on as Mayor as the city begins its 2023 budget deliberations and said that would be fair, while he referred to him as the "best thing" for Toronto.
"I think everyone has seen the good job that Mayor Tory has done. The guy's a relentless worker," Ford said, adding, "let's not upset the applecart for a personal issue."
Ford also unveiled some of the reasons why he doesn't want to see Tory get replaced, and showed some of his conservative colours in the process.
"If a lefty mayor gets in, god help the people of Toronto (...) we're toast," Ford said, and explained how that would lead to taxes going "through the roof," and "out of control spending."
"It'd be a disaster, in my opinion," he said.
There have been several reports of some disagreement among members of Toronto City Council over whether Tory should stay on as Mayor or stick with his resignation, as the debate over the 2023 budget began on Wednesday.