Toronto 2018 Elections: Tory Easily Wins Second Mayor's Election

Voters in Toronto re-elected Mayor John Tory, which earned him a landslide victory in a campaign overshadowed by the decision of Ontario Premier Doug Ford to end it without warning and split his council by two .

Mr. Tory spoke to campaign volunteers in a downtown hotel ballroom to head to the Rolling Stones' Start Me Up, after first results showed him with more than 63% of the votes.

"Building on the foundations of the last four years, over the next four years, my goal is to make sure that no one, no matter where they are, feels that the # Opportunity is a distant point, "said Tory. "We must continue to be a city of hope for all, not a place where people should lose hope."

He thanked Ms. Keesmaat for her campaign and pledged to unify the city and address its growing inequality while building public transit and more affordable housing. He also pledged to "redouble efforts" to fight the growing gun violence as well as to fight the mental health and addiction crisis, while repeating his motto on reducing taxes. .

Meanwhile, Keesmaat's supporters filled a room in Queen Street West and the crowd was optimistic as the minutes counted until the polls closed. But it calmed down because the first results showed it in bad position. Some moaned when one of the TV channels called the race to Mr. Tory.

A few minutes later, Ms. Keesmaat told the crowd that she had made a difference in the campaign.

"I am deeply moved by your self-confidence," she told her supporters, adding that she had congratulated Mr. Tory for his victory. "It behooves us all to wish him every success."

With the victory celebrations over, Tory, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and CEO of Rogers Cable, 64, will face a series of challenges, but the biggest may be waiting at Queen's Park.

Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Ford, a former Toronto city councilor, mayoral candidate and brother of the late former mayor Rob Ford, has already shown his willingness to meddle in the city's affairs and is considering securing the city. to take over the subways of the city. In dealing with Mr. Ford, center-right Mr. Tory will have to show that the more diplomatic and less confrontational approach that he has offered to Toronto voters during the election has produced results on issues such as the funding of public transit and social housing.

It was Ford's sudden decision to separate the Toronto City Council from 27 to 25 mid-campaign, prompting Ms. Keesmaat to launch her last challenge at City Hall on July 27, with only a few hours left. win before the closing of the applications. She said Tory's call for a referendum in response to Mr. Ford's idea was "lukewarm," and said the city needed a mayor to stand on the agenda. from Mr. Ford.

Tory's key commitment in the campaign was to maintain residential property tax increases against inflation, as he had done in his first term. But he will have to keep that promise despite the warnings of many, including the former City Manager, that Toronto needs new sources of revenue and should no longer rely on its volatile property transfer rights to balance its accounts.

Tory also said he would continue to use tax and other incentives, as well as urban land, to build more affordable housing, promising 40,000 units over the next 12 years. Ms. Keesmaat was committed to building 100,000 homes in 10 years by accelerating the handover of surplus lands in the city, a promise Tory said was unrealistic.

He also had to defend his decision to convince the council of the last mandate to authorize the reconstruction of the easternmost part of the very high Gardiner super-highway, in ruins. Ms. Keesmaat had pledged to demolish it instead, replacing it with a "big boulevard" on the floor that she said would save $ 500 million.

The early elections also revealed that Faith Goldy, a far-right white nationalist candidate, had obtained 3.4% or more of 20,000 votes, surpbading the other marginal candidates and coming in third. Ms. Goldy, who was not invited to debate with Mr. Tory and the other candidates, went on the first scene before being escorted by security. A handful of his supporters also briefly interrupted a subsequent debate. Mr. Tory had stated that he would not debate any candidate with a history of hate speech.

Mr. Ford's decision to cut the board created a series of fierce races in the new, larger halls between renowned city councilors. The tight fights prompted Tory to make a handful of strategic recommendations, supporting candidates who could make the new council smaller more comfortable with his agenda.

In Ward 19 (Beaches-East York), his efforts to help Brad Bradford the urban planner seemed to bear fruit, giving him a narrow advantage over former NDP MP Matthew Kellway, according to early results. . But in Ward 12 (Toronto-St. Paul's), Josh Matlow – a frequent critic of the mayor and the Scarborough subway extension – beat NDP Joe Mihevc, despite Tory's approval.

In other races, newcomer Jennifer McKelvie, who ran unsuccessfully in 2014, beat outgoing NDP President Neethan Shan in Ward 25 (Scarborough-Rouge Park). And the outspoken Giorgio Mammoliti, in municipal politics since the 1990s, was beaten by his outgoing compatriot Anthony Peruzza, NDP.

Mr. Tory's re-election as mayor has hardly ever been questioned. His campaign boasted $ 1 million in July, long before Ms. Keesmaat signed up. He led a clbadic pioneering campaign, taking little risk – including refusing to debate Keesmaat alone – and making few new promises.

The new council consisting of 25 members, like the previous 44-member chamber, could see the left trying to persuade a small group of centrists to accept and challenge the main supporters of the mayor, on certain issues, or to compel Mr. Tory to offer them concessions. But the major losses for NDPs, including Shan and Maria Augimeri, long in Ward 6 (York Center), could make the situation more difficult.

Former Liberal MP and outgoing councilor Jim Karygiannis also defeated longtime councilor Norm Kelly in Ward 22 (Scarborough-Agincourt). Kelly, who created a disproportionate personality on Twitter, was the deputy mayor who stepped in when Mayor Rob Ford was stripped of many of his powers in 2013.