Toronto city councillor John Filion has endorsed John Tory in his bid to become the city's next mayor, becoming the first sitting councillor to back Mr. Tory.
The representative for Ward 23, Willowdale, made the announcement at a news conference at Sheppard subway station Friday morning.
"In recent years, the city has been divided into left versus right and downtown versus former suburbs. This is both unnecessary and unhealthy," said Mr. Filion in a news release. "John Tory offers the best chance to move us forward together… [he has] has my enthusiastic support."
Mr. Tory is the only one of the five leading mayoral candidates who isn't a current or former member of council.
Who city councillors are supporting so far
Here is a list of the sitting councillors who have endorsed mayoral candidates so far, based on information from the campaigns.
David Soknacki, 2: Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre), Paul Ainslie (Ward 43, Scarborough East)
John Tory, 1: John Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale)
Karen Stintz, 0: No city councillors have yet to officially endorse Ms. Stintz
Olivia Chow, 0: No city councillors have yet to officially endorse Ms. Chow
Rob Ford: Mr. Ford's office did not respond to an e-mail sent by the Globe and Mail asking if any current city councillors have endorsed his re-election campaign. However, his brother Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) is his campaign manager.
Torontonians: Here's your chance to participate in a mayoral debate: The Globe and Toronto Region Board of Trade are hosting a debate with the city's leading mayoral candidates on Sept. 4 and we want to ask your questions. Submit your question here.