If you got ’em, use ’em.

That’s exactly what John Tory is doing as the re-elected mayor says he’ll take advantage of the special authority granted by the province for the first time to speed up housing in Toronto by creating a new division.

(Courtesy Global News)

”I’ve indicated to the city staff that I want this division up and running as quickly as possible, and that i will be using the strong mayor powers to implement it,” said Tory.

”And I expect this new model will be up and running as a result of all of that by early 2023.”

The powers give the mayor a veto to override council on matters of provincial priority, the ability to hire and fire department heads, appoint a city manager, and to create new departments, such as in this case.

Tory says he does not anticipate using the new powers frequently but that he ”won’t hesitate” to do so if it’s in the public interest.