After Mayor John Tory argued the ongoing sexual harassment allegations against him should not harm his administration, a report released Friday morning suggested there was “clearly wrongdoing” by those in his office. Tory also called the independent investigation conducted by police into the situation “cumbersome.”
“We’ve had an embarrassment, let’s put it that way, an embarrassment,” he said in an interview on CFRB. “I think that many in the city that have supported the mayor and supported our administration have felt that what we have had to deal with has been an embarrassment.”
Mayor Tory said there have been “very serious allegations” made against him and his administration, and confirmed that he may have given a police officer an address where he was staying, but denied that he had sexually harassed anyone in his office.
City manager Steve Orsini said he considers the police report a “serious embarrassment.”
The report, by retired Ontario Superior Court Judge Michael Tulloch, offered no definitive conclusions about any wrongdoing on the part of the Mayor.
An hour after the report was released, City Council Chair Diane Colley-Urquhart announced she would “not be standing by quietly” and would seek a no confidence vote from her colleagues on Monday.
The Mayor said the report’s findings included strong criticism of his administration.
“I have been vindicated in that,” he said. “It’s a tragic event that’s happened, but I have to live with this forever.”
Tory was interviewed twice by police and was also interviewed by Tulloch during the investigation. He said he would have preferred to be interviewed by Tulloch on the phone.
Tulloch said he found no evidence that municipal rules were broken. He found that some City Hall staff were “indecisive, absent and inconsistent,” with one saying, “I think my boss wants something from me.” However, Tory was found to be “culpable” of:
“Putting sex and power in the workplace as an element of performance and decision making
“Putting power over sex (knowledge) in the workplace (being told not to disclose his complaint)
“Avoiding or suppressing information about sex (in this case improper sexual advances).”
Tulloch questioned whether Tory needed to continue to lead the city.
“As mayor, you hold yourself to the highest standard and I believe you did fall short,” he wrote.