John Tory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Tory OOnt KC
Tory in 2018
65th Mayor of Toronto
In office December 1, 2014 – February 17, 2023
Deputy	Denzil Minnan-Wong Jennifer McKelvie
Preceded by	Rob Ford
Succeeded by	Olivia Chow
Ontario provincial politics Leader of the Opposition in Ontario In office March 29, 2005 – October 10, 2007 Preceded by Bob Runciman Succeeded by Bob Runciman Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario In office September 28, 2004 – March 20, 2009 Preceded by Ernie Eves Succeeded by Bob Runciman (interim) Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey In office March 29, 2005 – October 10, 2007 Preceded by Ernie Eves Succeeded by Sylvia Jones
Personal details
Born	John Howard Tory (1954-05-28) May 28, 1954 (age 71) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative Federal PC (until 1995)
Spouse	Barbara Hackett ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	4
Parents	John A. Tory (father) Elizabeth Bacon (mother)
Relatives	John S. D. Tory (grandfather) James Marshall Tory (uncle)
Residences	Toronto, Ontario
Alma mater	University of Toronto (BA) Osgoode Hall Law School (LLB)
Occupation	Politician lawyer businessman

John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian lawyer, broadcaster, and businessman. He was the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. Before that, he led the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 2004 to 2009. He also served as the leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007.

After working as a lawyer and in business, Tory first ran for mayor of Toronto in 2003 but did not win. He then became the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. From 2005 to 2007, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. After leaving politics in 2009, he became a radio talk show host.

On October 27, 2014, John Tory was elected mayor of Toronto. He won against Rob Ford's brother, Doug Ford, and former Member of Parliament Olivia Chow. He was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2022 for a third term. He resigned as mayor on February 17, 2023, and Olivia Chow became the new mayor.

Early Life and Education

John Howard Tory was born in Toronto, Ontario, on May 28, 1954. He was the oldest of four children. His father, John A. Tory, was a business leader. His grandfather was a lawyer, and his great-grandfather started Sun Life of Canada.

John Tory went to the University of Toronto Schools for high school. In 1975, he earned a degree in political science from the University of Toronto. He then studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School and became a lawyer in 1980.

Career in Business and Politics

From 1972 to 1979, John Tory worked as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting. Later, he worked at a law firm called Tory, Tory, DesLauriers & Binnington.

From 1981 to 1985, he worked for the premier of Ontario, Bill Davis. He also advised the Canadian Special Envoy on acid rain. Tory managed political campaigns for former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell.

From 1995 to 1999, he was the president and CEO of Rogers Media. This company owned many radio and television stations and magazines. After that, he led Rogers Cable, a company that provided cable services. He also served as the ninth commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1996 to 2000.

First Campaign for Mayor in 2003

In 2003, John Tory ran for mayor of Toronto. He finished second, behind David Miller. Tory had strong support from conservative voters, but Miller won the election. After the election, Tory helped Miller and another candidate, Barbara Hall, raise money to pay off their campaign debts.

Leader of the Ontario PC Party

In 2004, John Tory decided to run for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He won the election and became the party leader.

In 2005, he won a special election to become a member of the provincial legislature. This allowed him to lead the party from inside the government.

2007 Provincial Election

Tory in Guelph, September 24, 2007

In the 2007 provincial election, Tory ran in the area where he grew up, called Don Valley West. His main idea was to extend public funding to faith-based schools. This idea caused a lot of discussion.

On election night, Tory lost his seat in Don Valley West to Kathleen Wynne. His party also lost the election, and the Liberals won again. Even though he lost, Tory said he would stay on as leader.

Leading from Outside the Legislature

After the election loss, some party members wanted Tory to resign. He faced criticism for not being able to get a seat in the legislature. In 2009, another party member, Laurie Scott, resigned to allow Tory to run in a special election. However, Tory lost that election too.

The next day, John Tory resigned as party leader. Bob Runciman became the interim leader.

Return to Broadcasting

After leaving provincial politics, John Tory returned to broadcasting. He hosted a phone-in show on a Toronto radio station, CFRB. Later, he hosted a daily afternoon show called Live Drive.

He considered running for mayor of Toronto again in 2010 but decided not to. He also became the head of a non-profit group called the Toronto City Summit Alliance. His last radio broadcast was on February 21, 2014, when he announced he would run for mayor.

Mayor of Toronto (2014–2023)

Elections for Mayor

Tory on stage with other mayoral candidates prior to a debate, June 2014

John Tory officially became a candidate for the 2014 Toronto mayoral election on February 24, 2014. He promised to build a new subway line called the Yonge Street relief line. He also proposed a plan called SmartTrack, which would use existing train tracks for a new transit service. On October 27, 2014, he was elected mayor.

Tory became mayor on December 1, 2014. He met with Premier Kathleen Wynne to discuss working together. He also named Denzil Minnan-Wong as his deputy mayor.

The percentage of the vote won by John Tory in each municipal ward in Toronto's 2018 mayoral election

On May 1, 2018, Tory announced he would run for re-election. He had high approval ratings. On October 22, 2018, he was re-elected mayor, winning against Jennifer Keesmaat.

He was elected for a third term on October 24, 2022, defeating Gil Penalosa.

Community Safety and Policing

As mayor, John Tory was part of the Toronto Police Services Board. This board helps manage the Toronto Police Service (TPS).

Community Contacts Policy (Carding)

After he was elected, there was a lot of discussion about a police practice called "carding." This allowed police to stop people and ask for their information, even if they weren't suspected of a crime. Many people felt it unfairly targeted Black people.

Initially, Tory thought the policy should be changed, not stopped. But on June 7, 2015, he called for an end to carding, saying it was "illegitimate, disrespectful and hurtful." The practice was later effectively ended across the province in 2017.

Police Reform Efforts

In 2020, some city councillors suggested cutting the police budget and using the money for community programs. Tory and most of the council did not support this. Instead, they approved ideas like creating a non-police crisis response program and giving police officers body cameras.

During his time as mayor, Tory focused on giving more resources to the police. This sometimes meant less money for social services and housing.

Toronto Community Crisis Service

In 2020, Tory supported a plan to have non-police teams respond to certain calls. These teams would handle situations where there was no violence or weapons involved. The goal was to have social workers or other experts respond instead of police.

This pilot program, called the Toronto Community Crisis Service, started in March 2022. Tory hoped it would be expanded across the city by 2025.

TTC Safety

In 2022 and 2023, there were several violent incidents on Toronto's public transit system (TTC). In response, Tory, the police chief, and the TTC CEO announced that more police officers would patrol the transit system. The TTC also added workers to help homeless people and more security guards.

Transportation Initiatives

SmartTrack Plan

In his 2014 campaign, Tory proposed SmartTrack. This plan would use existing train tracks to create a new "surface subway" service. It would run alongside GO trains and have 22 new stations. Tory initially said it would cost $8 billion and be finished in seven years.

After he became mayor, the SmartTrack plan changed. Some parts were dropped, and it was connected with other transit projects. The current plan involves building five new stations by 2026.

Scarborough Subway Extension

Tory supported extending Toronto's subway Line 2 by one stop to the Scarborough Town Centre. This was different from an earlier plan for a three-stop extension. The Scarborough Subway Extension is now in the design stage and is expected to open around 2023.

Gardiner Expressway

In 2016, the city had to decide what to do with the eastern part of the Gardiner Expressway, an old elevated highway. It needed expensive repairs. Tory supported a plan to rebuild it, costing about $1 billion. He believed this would help traffic. Others wanted to tear it down, which would be cheaper.

Road Tolls Discussion

As mayor, Tory considered putting tolls on two city-owned highways, the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. This would raise money for transit projects. The city council approved the idea, but the provincial government had to agree.

In 2017, the province rejected the idea of road tolls. They said they would increase the city's share of the gas tax instead. Tory was grateful for the gas tax money but criticized the province for not allowing tolls. He brought up the idea of tolls again in 2022, but the province again said no.

Housing Initiatives

In 2014, Tory chose Councillor Ana Bailão to lead the affordable housing committee.

Modular Housing

In September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city started a plan to build 1000 units of modular housing. These are homes built in factories and then put together on city-owned land. This was part of the city's plan to provide more housing.

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation

In 2021, the city created the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation. This organization provides housing for 15,000 low and moderate-income seniors in 83 buildings.

ModernTO Initiative

The ModernTO plan, started in 2019, aims to make better use of the city's office space. It was approved in April 2022. The plan will reduce the number of city offices and turn eight buildings into affordable housing, creating 500 to 600 new homes.

2023 Housing Action Plan

After the 2022 election, Tory proposed a new housing plan. This plan included ending "exclusionary zoning," which would allow more types of housing, like laneway suites, to be built. It also aimed to speed up building approvals and encourage more rental housing.

The plan was praised by housing groups as "bold."

Parks and Recreation

Rail Deck Park

In 2016, Tory suggested building a large park called Rail Deck Park in downtown Toronto. It would be built over existing railway tracks. The park was planned to be 21 acres and cost $1.66 billion.

The plan depended on the city getting the rights to build above the railway land. However, some private developers said they already owned these rights. A court decision in 2021 sided with the developers, which made the city's original park plans difficult to achieve. The developers now plan to build a smaller park along with condo and office towers.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

On March 23, 2020, John Tory declared a state of emergency in Toronto because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that many public events were cancelled, and businesses like restaurants and cinemas had to close or offer takeout only.

Later, rules were put in place for masks. Starting July 2, 2020, face masks were required on the TTC. After July 7, masks were required in all enclosed public places.

Strong-Mayor Powers

Before the 2022 election, the provincial government gave the mayor of Toronto new "strong-mayor powers." These powers allowed Tory to have more control over the city's budget, committees, and departments. He could also veto council decisions that did not match provincial priorities.

These new powers caused a lot of discussion. All five former Toronto mayors wrote a letter saying the powers were an "attack" on local democracy. However, the mayor's office said Tory would use these powers in a very limited way.

Taxes

John Tory promised to keep property tax increases low, at or below the rate of inflation. He kept this promise during his time as mayor.

After Being Mayor

In December 2023, after resigning as mayor, John Tory joined Bell Media. He became a commentator on municipal affairs for a radio station (CFRB) and TV news channels (CTV News and CP24). In March 2024, he also rejoined the board of directors for Rogers, a large communications company.

Personal Life

John Tory has been married to Barbara Hackett since 1978. They met while studying law at York University. They have four children.

Tory has two brothers and one sister. His family has a long history in Canada, with ancestors settling in Nova Scotia in the 1780s. His maternal grandmother came from a Russian Jewish family that moved to Toronto.

Honours and Awards

In 2012, John Tory was given the Order of Ontario. This award recognized his work as a "champion for the Greater Toronto Region." He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and is a King's Counsel. In 2011, he won a Harry Jerome Award for his work on a project called DiverseCity.

Election Results

For full results, see Results of the 2003 Toronto election.

Images for kids

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  Tory seated at a television studio set with Sandra Pupatello in January 2013

See also

In Spanish: John Tory para niños