Candidates in the race to be Toronto's mayor are reaching out to Premier Kathleen Wynne after last week's election victory.
John Tory, the former leader of Ontario's Progressive Conservatives, whose transit strategy hinges in part on Liberal plans to electrify GO train lines, has had a telephone chat with the Premier, sources in her office confirmed.
Former New Democrat MP Olivia Chow is set to talk with Ms. Wynne, likely by phone, on Thursday, sources said. If elected, Ms. Chow wants the province to reverse plans to extend the Bloor-Danforth subway line east and replace the Scarborough Rapid Transit Line with light rail instead.
Councillor Karen Stintz sent congratulations to the Premier, a spokeswoman for her campaign said.
Mayor Rob Ford, who is on a leave of absence and is at a rehab facility in Muskoka, told the Toronto Sun last week that he had tried without success to call the Premier after her election victory.
Last Friday, the mayor's brother and campaign manager, Councillor Doug Ford, said the provincial PCs need "an enema from top to bottom." He also did not rule out a bid himself to become the new party leader. The Etobicoke-based city councillor also has cited the Liberals' success at the polls in spite of controversy over their cancellation of two gas plants as evidence of voters' willingness to give politicians – including Toronto's mayor – a second chance.