John Tory coasted to a second term as mayor of Toronto after an election campaign that was hampered by starts and stops as the Ontario government moved to slash the size of the city's council by nearly half.As a result, a couple of familiar local figures toppled in fierce battles that pitted political lions against one another on Monday. Incumbents such as Norm Kelly, who gained fame as the “6 Dad” on Twitter, and Giorgio Mammoliti, the notorious councillor who was slammed for racist commentary during the election, lost their council seats to other veteran politicians Jim Karygiannis, and Anthony Perruzza.The city’s core remained decidedly left-leaning, while the ring of inner suburbs lean right, a pattern that has remained the same ever since Toronto amalgamated in 1997.Tory garnered 63 percent of the vote, to former city planner and progressive candidate Jennifer Keesmaat's 23 percent. White nationalist Faith Goldy came in third, with 3.4 percent of the vote. It appeared that only four of the 25 elected councillors are visible minorities, which would be an increase in terms of percentage over the previous version of council.Perhaps the most dominant issue of the campaign was dictated by Premier Doug Ford, who declared in the summer that he would cut the number of city council seats from 47 to 25 to have them align with the federal and provincial ridings. Despite local outrage at a decision that many viewed as antidemocratic because it dramatically increases the number of residents each councillor represents (to an average of about 110,000 each), the provincial government used the notwithstanding clause to push the cut through.Ford also halted elections for regional chairs, including one where his former rival, Patrick Brown, was running. Brown, who used to lead the provincial Progressive Conservatives but stepped down amid allegations of sexual misconduct (he's now suing for defamation), shifted his energies to running for mayor in Brampton — and won.Cover image: Toronto Mayor John Tory acknowledges supporters after he was re-elected in the Ontario municipal election in Toronto, on Monday, October 22, 2018. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
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