No plans to replace Jennifer Keesmaat, says John Tory
Keesmaat will remain Toronto's chief planner, mayor says, while cautioning bureaucrats against debating elected officials via social media.

TheStar.com
June 17, 2015
David Rider

Mayor John Tory looks forward to “continuing a professional relationship” with Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat, but warned city staff not to “debate” elected officials.

The mayor also told reporters Wednesday that he has “discouraged” his staff and others around him, including adviser Nick Kouvalis, from having social media fights with city officials.

Tory told reporters after a transit announcement that he was not aware Keesmaat had, the previous evening, grabbed a CP24 news camera and walked away from an interview after reporter Jackie Crandles asked her about tensions between them.

Crandles had tried to ask Keesmaat about a recent meeting, first reported by the Star, involving Tory, his staff, Keesmaat and John Livey, Keesmaat’s boss, about the heated east Gardiner Expressway debate.

Tory confirmed that Keesmaat, who expressed her support for tearing down the east Gardiner in a speech to planners and on Twitter, was told she cannot “debate” him and other politicians fighting to keep up the expressway.

“The planner and other public officials have not only the right, but they have a responsibility to state their professional opinions on matters of public policy that are in front of city council,” Tory said after a transit announcement.

“I think there is, however, a difference between that and debating elected representatives through media or on social media ... how many times can you think of an instance in which a public servant has ended up debating a politician at any level of government — federal, provincial or municipal? It doesn't happen for a reason.”

There is often tension, usually behind the scenes, between political masters and senior bureaucrats. The Tory-Keesmaat spat, however, is far from the first to go public. Much has been written on disagreements, many of them public, between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and senior public servants.

Tory said he has had no discussions with Peter Wallace, the incoming city manager and Keesmaat’s new boss, about replacing her.

“I look forward to continuing a professional relationship with her,” the mayor said. “I think we all just have to understand what our respective roles are ...”

As for Kouvalis, who has repeatedly attacked Keesmaat on Twitter, Tory said: “I benefited from his professional advice, but a lot of his debates that take place on Twitter are not debates I would engage in, they're not opinions I share. What Nick Kouvalis says on Twitter or what anybody else says on Twitter is not under my supervision or control.”

The Gardiner tensions followed earlier ones over Keesmaat backing a downtown relief subway line as a top priority while Tory was trumpeting his SmartTrack transit expansion plan.

Keesmaat, who apologized Tuesday night to the CP24 crew, tweeted Wednesday morning: “Amazing the number of PR firms that have contacted me this morning and offered to help. #You'reADayTooLate.”