As the Liberals again swept across Toronto in Monday night’s election there was one prominent resident likely breathing a sigh of relief Tuesday morning.

Mayor John Tory, who has sold himself as a leader who can work with any party, has enjoyed a lucrative relationship with Justin Trudeau, whose party won enough seats in the election to form a strong minority government.

That victory leaves several billion dollars in previously committed funding on the table for transit expansion projects and social housing repairs, among other infrastructure needs.

The Conservatives and Leader Andrew Scheer, who challenged Trudeau for control of the House, promised to stretch the Liberal party’s promised infrastructure spending over 15 years instead of 12, which would have amounted to a cut of more than $18 billion. Something Tory earlier called “not in the best interest” of Toronto and other cities.

The Liberal win also keeps an ally in Tory’s corner in what has at times been an incredibly challenging relationship with Premier Doug Ford’s government at Queen’s Park.

The federal election campaign saw Trudeau weaponize Ford’s unpopularity by using his name disparagingly to criticize Scheer’s policies — a major talking point among pundits — while Ford refused to take the bait.

On Tuesday, Tory said he saw himself as a potential mediator among the three leaders.

“I think there’s been some friction as people have seen between Premier Ford and Mr. Trudeau and they’re now going to have to work together for a period of time again,” the mayor said on Citytv’s breakfast program. “And I’ll try to help that to be more productive.”

Tory congratulated Trudeau in a late-night statement.

“His campaign promised to continue investing in transit expansion in Toronto, in affordable housing, and in kids and families as an important element in addressing the roots of gun violence — three important priorities for our city,” the statement said.

“As mayor, I have focused on building strong relationships and partnerships with all levels of government that have led to historic investments. I look forward to continuing to work with our prime minister and all Toronto members of Parliament to ensure that those investments, particularly in our transit plan, continue and grow.”

Trudeau’s election night speech focused on those investments as well referencing a push to get guns off the country’s streets.

A campaign promise to contribute $250 million over five years directly to cities to battle guns and gangs was welcome news in Toronto where Tory and council have struggled to make a dent in escalating violence by largely focusing on policing efforts.

Though not yet spelled out, it appears the money could be spent on community programs as chosen by the city — what would allow council to fund its anti-violence plan that was left largely unfunded in the summer of 2018.

Those efforts, as well as a transit plan pushed by Ford and not yet agreed to by council, rely heavily on federal government funding.

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Tory said during an early morning appearance on CP24’s breakfast program that the Liberal government has a been a “pretty good friend to Toronto” and he didn’t expect that to change much.

“I think we need them to keep their promises on community safety,” he said, adding he’ll be fighting to ensure the city gets its fair share of any spending.

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