Toronto Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie will be stepping in as acting mayor after John Tory announced his resignation on Friday evening.
Under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, she is expected to remain in the position until a by-election can be held. Tory, who stepped down as mayor after admitting to having a relationship with a staff member, said his resignation would be completed in the next few days.
City council will need to declare a vacant office and pass a by-law to officially begin the by-election process under the City of Toronto Act. Mayoral candidates will be given up to 60 days to submit their nominations.
McKelvie was appointed deputy mayor on Nov. 16 shortly after her second-term at city hall began. After being elected in 2018 as councillor of Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park, she was re-elected last October with 72 per cent of the vote.
Tory, re-elected for a third term, highlighted her full support for his plans for the city.
“I am confident that she shares my commitment to getting more housing built as quickly as possible, getting our $28 billion transit plan built across the city, keeping our city as affordable as possible, and making sure the nuts and bolts of municipal government work,” he said in a statement during her appointment.
McKelvie noted Tory’s mandate to “get things done” in Toronto and said she was proud to support Tory’s agenda.
She replaced former Don Valley East councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, who chose not to run for re-election after having served two terms in the deputy mayor role.
Alongside her position, she serves as chair of the Infrastructure and Environment committee and chair of the striking committee. According to her City of Toronto biography, she was recognized by the province of Ontario with the Leading Women, Building Communities Recognition Award in 2015, and by the Scarborough Rotary Clubs with the Paul Harris Fellow award in 2017.
A new mayor is expected this spring with election day coming 45 days after candidacy acceptance window ends.