City of Toronto not behind phone calls asking whether John Tory deserves second chance

The City of Toronto says they’re not behind the barrage of recent phone calls residents have received regarding whether John Tory deserves a second chance as mayor in the wake of his surprise resignation.

Many people have taken to social media saying they received an automated phone call in the form of a survey polling city residents on the prospects of Tory being re-elected should he run again and if the 68-year-old politician warrants a second chance after admitting to an affair last week.

Forum Research confirmed it had been running an automated survey asking if Tory should be given a second chance as mayor, publishing those results on Tuesday. The random public opinion poll of 1,042 residents indicated 45 per cent of those surveyed do not think Tory should be resigning, while 43 per cent think he should, and 11 per cent don’t know.

“Support for Mayor Tory remains significant,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “It’s possible that Torontonians are open to Tory continuing in his role.”

One social media user recorded the call, which was received on a landline.

“Do you feel John Tory is making the right decision by resigning as mayor of Toronto,” the automated voice asks. “Or do you feel he should not resign and remain in office? If yes that he made the right decision by resigning, please press two.”

The automated message asks if the recipient feels Tory should remain as mayor “despite making a personal mistake” and if the respondent feels he doesn’t deserve another chance and should resign immediately.

“After resigning, if John Tory ran for Mayor of Toronto in a by-election, would you consider supporting Tory? If yes, you would strongly support Tory, please press two.”

Another social media user confirmed receiving a similar phone call on his landline.

“Why am I being asked in a telephone poll whether I think John Tory has done a good job as mayor? Are the masses rising up to demand he stays?,” the tweet read.

A spokesperson for Tory’s office confirmed with CityNews they were never behind the survey.

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“We saw tweets about these polls [Monday] night — that was the first we’ve heard of it,” said Taylor Deasley, Tory’s Press Secretary and Issues Manager. “Mayor Tory and the Mayor’s office have nothing to do with any of these polls. Right now, the mayor is focused on getting the 2023 budget approved so that we are making needed investments in housing, transit and community safety.”

A city spokesperson said they’re “not affiliated with this poll in any way.”

Mainstreet Research said it is also running a Toronto mayor survey, asking who Torontonians might vote for and the top issues, but it does not include Tory as a candidate.

Tory announced he was stepping down as mayor on Friday night after admitting to an affair with a former staff member that developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tory will remain in his current role until after Wednesday’s city budget deliberations. His office says that’s because the 68-year-old will be working to ensure the city’s budget — the first he has proposed under new “strong mayor” powers — gets approved.

Tory remaining at the city’s helm while council discusses the budget means he still holds powers that give him a veto over changes council makes and the ability to push through the fiscal plan with only one-third of council support.