Complaint filed against John Tory over Toronto election robocall

On Monday, a complaint was filed with the Office of the Integrity Commissioner in Toronto regarding John Tory’s use of robocalls in October’s local elections.

The complaint, filed by Parthi Kandavel, an eight-year Toronto School Board trustee who ran for council in 20th Ward Southwest Scarborough, alleges Torrey used his powers as mayor to influence the district’s outcome. ing.

In a robocall made on election day, Tory referred to himself as “Mayor John Tory” instead of “Mayoral Candidate John Tory”, and was said to have endorsed incumbent Gary Crawford.

The 20th Ward ended up going to Crawford, but the vote was narrow, with Crawford winning about 35% of the vote and Candavel about 30%.

“In short, Mr Torrey has violated Sections 7.1 and 8.0. [of the Code of Conduct for Council Members] In a robocall in support of Gary Crawford’s October 2022 campaign, he improperly used the influence of his office when he referred to himself as ‘Mayor John Tory,’ according to the complaint. is written.

“It is a core principle of the Code of Conduct that members of the Council, including Mr. Torrey, shall not use any kind of resources or privileges available to them by virtue of their office to further private interests,” it said. says.

The 20th Ward ended up going to Crawford, but the vote was narrow, with Crawford winning about 35% of the vote and Candavel about 30%.

Toronto Integrity Commissioner Jonathan Batty confirmed to CTV News Toronto that his office had received the complaint, but stressed that he had not yet decided whether to investigate the matter.

“At this time, we have no further information to provide,” Batty said.

Asked for comment on Monday, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said it had also received a copy of the complaint.

“The mayor respects the integrity commissioner and his process, and in light of this, we have no further comment at this time,” Don Peetz said.

Ultimately, Kandavel said the complaint “isn’t about the outcome of the election, but about the spirit of Toronto’s local democracy and the integrity of its officials.”

The Tories are now investigating another complaint, first filed in July by civic activist Adam Shalev. It asked commissioners to investigate Mr. Torrey’s relationship with Rogers.