Protesters dragged out of raucous Tory-led budget meeting

John Tory was once lauded as a desperately-needed return to monotonous normalcy at Toronto City Hall. Now, his mere presence in the council chambers is enough to spark considerable chaos.

Just seconds after a suddenly sex-scandal-plagued Tory stepped to the podium at Wednesday’s contentious multi-billion-dollar budget meeting, he was loudly booed by protesters who chanted “House the homeless, feed the poor. Kick John Tory out the door.”

Speaker Frances Nunziata immediately halted the proceedings.

“Everybody out of the council chambers,” she barked. “Everybody out.”

More chants erupted from protesters angry with the considerable Toronto Police budget boost.

“Cops don’t equal safety!”

Not long after, at least three protesters were physically removed from City Hall by security.

A protester claiming to be with a group called Voices from the Shelter System called the budget “completely unacceptable” saying it doesn’t respond “to the demands of poor and working class people in this city.”

The protester also took issue with Tory’s presence after he said he would resign due to an admitted affair with a much younger former staffer.

Tory, however, decided to hold off on signing his walking papers until his budget — bolstered by strong-mayor powers he asked for and obtained from Premier Doug Ford — could be passed.

“We don’t accept his whole resignation claim and then coming back to push his budget through and hold council under his thumb for the next four years while he figures out his personal life,” the protester said.

“We would like to see John Tory out and this council to have a paradigm shift.”

While that interview was taking place, Nunziata’s seemingly-omnipresent commands continued to ring out.

“If I can ask the media to leave as well. Please respect council. We are trying to vacate the council chambers, not do interviews”

That was followed by more chants.

“Whose city? Our city!”

The budget meeting has a long way to go, but it’s clear that John Tory’s reputation as a soothing antidote to the tumult of the Rob Ford-era is long gone.