John Tory takes swipe at Josh Matlow in defence of candidate endorsement

Toronto mayoral candidate John Tory took a thinly veiled swipe at a long-time city council rival on Saturday as he defended his decision to endorse a select group of candidates in the days before next week's municipal election. 

"The very nature of the city council is that on every vote, every day, you have to build a coalition," Tory told reporters from a campaign stop in Scarborough. Volunteers for his campaign were preparing to canvass the area, as advanced voting ends Sunday.

"But you do need people who are willing to work together," he added.

In an unexpected move Friday, Tory endorsed Ward 12 Toronto–St Paul's candidate Joe Mihevc over Josh Matlow. Both are incumbent councillors who ended up facing off after the province unilaterally reduced the number of wards in Toronto from 47 to 25 last month. 

Robocalls with Tory's message of support for Mihevc, an occasional ally at city hall, are currently going out to voters. 

Clashes over proposed subway extension 

Matlow and Tory have clashed publicly over the latter's support for proposed the $3.5-billion, one-stop subway extension into Scarborough.

Matlow has been perhaps the most vocal critic of the project at city hall, and his opposition dates back to the administration of former mayor Rob Ford. He has consistently pushed for the city to reconsider a plan for a light-rail network in Scarborough, a far less expensive option it abandoned in favour of the one-stop subway extension. 

In the last several years, Matlow has introduced multiple motions to this affect, including one to have staff produce a business case analysis comparing the proposed subway extension with a length of the potential light-rail corridor. 

Tory has frequently voted against measures advocated by Matlow at city hall. 

Tensions peaked in the spring, when Matlow demanded a Superior Court judicial review of the decision-making process surrounding the proposed subway project. In doing so, he called into question some of the figures that staff have used to justify the subway extension. 

At the time, Tory's office called Matlow's motion calling for the review a "publicity stunt."

Then, on Saturday morning, Tory echoed that same sentiment as he explained his support for Mihevc.

"You can't have people that are focused on themselves and that, you know, are in business for themselves in the context of the views they express or the actions they undertake," Tory said. 

More endorsements anticipated

In a statement to CBC Toronto, Matlow said he plans to keep working with everyone on a variety of issues, including transit, seniors and road safety.

He added he would also continue challenging decisions he believes do not put residents before politics. 

"I don't accept that we should always support John Tory or Doug Ford, just because they say we should," Matlow said. "Making honest, evidence-based decisions should be the minimum that voters expect from their elected representatives."

So far, Mihevc is the second candidate to be endorsed by the sitting mayor. Last week, he also threw his support behind Ward 19 Beaches–East York candidate Brad Bradford. He is expected to reveal more endorsements in the coming days. 

It's not clear, however, if the mayor's backing will have any discernible impact at the polls. 

Meanwhile, Tory's challenger for the mayor's seat, former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat, earned her own endorsement Saturday from incumbent councillor and candidate in Ward 10, ​Spadina–Fort York Joe Cressy. The pair appeared together at a campaign event in Kensington Market, where Cressy touted Keesmaat's vision for the city's transit network. 

As the final week of the campaign revs up, Keesmaat is trying to bridge a significant gap in support. A recent public opinion poll found that Tory is enjoying a nearly 30 point lead among registered voters.