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

Toronto mayoral candidateJohn 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 TorontoSt 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.

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

Clashes over proposed subway extension

Matlowand Tory have clashed publicly over the latter's support for proposedthe $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, Matlowhas 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 Matlowat city hall.

Tensions peaked in the spring, when Matlowdemanded a Superior Courtjudicial review of the decision-making process surrounding the proposed subway project. In doing so, hecalled into question some of the figures that staff have used to justify the subway extension.

At the time, Tory's office called Matlow'smotion 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 CBCToronto, Matlowsaid he plans to keep working with everyone on a variety of issues, including transit, seniors and road safety.

Headded he would also continue challengingdecisions he believesdo 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 BeachesEast Yorkcandidate 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, SpadinaFort York Joe Cressy. The pair appeared together at a campaign event in Kensington Market, where Cressy touted Keesmaat'svision for the city's transit network.

As the final week of the campaign revs up, Keesmaatis 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.