Here's when Toronto's by-election to replace John Tory will take place
The municipal by-election for Toronto's soon-to-be-vacant mayor seat will occur in mid-2023, and the city now has a much clearer idea of when the date to replace departing mayor John Tory will land on the calendar.
After some hesitation as to whether or not he would go through with his plan to step down, Tory has officially thrown in the towel, submitting his letter of resignation with the city clerk on Wednesday evening.
His brief third term as Mayor of Toronto will come to a sudden end on Fri. Feb. 17 after the bombshell revelation that he engaged in an affair with a now-former staffer.
So what happens next?
The City of Toronto Act dictates that council fill a mayoral vacancy through a by-election.
Once council passes a bylaw authorizing a by-election to fill the vacant seat, nominations for the vacancy open the following day. Next, the city clerk will establish a window for candidate nominations lasting anywhere from 30 to 60 days after the passing of the by-election bylaw.
The actual by-election will be held 45 days after the close of this nominations period, and based on the council schedule and combined 75-to-105-day window, it is expected that Toronto will elect a new mayor sometime in June.
A mid-June election seems the most likely scenario, but council may be able to speed up the process by calling a special session advancing the process along.
The City of Toronto published details about the by-election to replace Tory and Deputy Mayor’s powers.
— Adam Chaleff (@AdamCF) February 16, 2023
1) Unless Council calls a special meeting to speed it up, it’s likely a mid-June by-election.
2) No Strong Mayor powers for the Deputy Mayorhttps://t.co/lX2DCCNEcL #TOpoli
As for what happens in the interim, city staff will work with Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie to "continue the uninterrupted delivery of city programs and services."
McKelvie's title will remain Deputy Mayor, and the controversial "strong mayor" powers recently bestowed on Tory will not apply to the interim position until a new mayor is elected.
