TORONTO — John Tory secured a strong third mandate as mayor of Canada's most populous city on Monday, after a campaign that saw him tout his years of experience in Toronto's top office in his bid for re-election.
The newly re-elected mayor said he would work with the federal and provincial governments to get more housing built, along with also focusing on other priorities like affordability and economic recovery from the pandemic, saying he wants the city to"fashion the kind of recovery that leaves nobody behind."
In his concession speech, Penalosa highlighted the trend of Toronto residents being driven out of the city due to the high cost of living. The urban planner also commented on dissatisfaction among residents of all demographics. He's also proposed to streamline the building process with the creation of a new division at city hall and plans to ask the province to allow the city to enact a"use it or lose it" policy that would mandate developers to start building on approved but undeveloped land or face higher taxes and have zoning approvals expire.
In his third term, Tory will have to deal with the city's estimated $857-million pandemic-driven budget shortfall.