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But the additional deputies amount to little more than “window dressing” for the Tory administration, she argued. “It doesn’t really translate into any additional authority, anywhere,” she said.

“With the Ford era over, it’s about respect and decorum,” said first-term Councillor Joe Cressy. “But it’s also about ambitious policy and about city building. So, if it’s not right, not left, but forward, prove it.”

The three additional deputies would not sit on the mayor’s executive, although that committee does include members of the Toronto East York community council, which had been shut out during the Ford era.

Mr. Tory insisted that the additional deputies are more than just symbolic gestures. He called his selection of Ms. McConnell, in particular, “very significant.” He has asked her to help lead a poverty-reduction strategy.

“I had to make choices … and I’m confident this group will do the job it’s intended to do,” he said, following a meeting with the Premier at Queen’s Park that both leaders lauded as being encouraging. “I intend to work with every single member of the council to try to make a stronger, fairer city,” Mr. Tory said.

His team includes centrist Josh Colle as chairman of the TTC and Gary Crawford as his budget chief. Mr. Crawford told reporters he intends to be a “fiscally responsible” budget chief, and that he is “confident” he can meet Mr. Tory’s demands to keep taxes at or below the rate of inflation.