Here's a link to Toronto Council's Code of Conduct:
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/accountability-officers/integrity-commissioner/code-of-conduct-for-members-of-council/#:~:text=Members should act with integrity,and bears close public scrutiny.
These isn't anything there that explicitly prevents politicians from having relationships with staff. There's just an obligation to avoid conflicts of interest and to act in a way that bolsters public confidence. I doubt they could have removed Tory for breach of the Code. I say this as someone who doesn't like Tory personally or like his policies for the city. (I would also concede that there are certainly FAR worse options, 2 of which have already said they are considering running). I read the Sanfiro web material that someone else linked, but frankly, like Sanfiro always is, the material is a little contradictory and superficial. Goes with the territory of representing the employee side of employment law disputes.
I think the decision to step down is ENTIRELY about Tory trying to avoid getting fleeced by a divorce. He needs to give Barb 100% of what she wants right now, including his time and the right optics, if he has any shot at that. Frankly, I'd say his chances are poor. She probably knew that John was getting serviced elsewhere (what else would an intelligent woman think when she isn't taking care of business?). Why else would she vamoose to Florida all through Covid? As usual, her "horrified" reaction is likely more about the public exposure that they have a sexless/loveless marriage than about the reality that she probably is mostly to blame for that.
The reality is that we live in a society where a woman can completely let her husband down sexually/emotionally, but men are considered to be the villains when they solve the problem their wife created.
Her decision whether to divorce Tory will be mostly about whether she's happier with 50% of his money and an open calendar vs. 100% of his money and lots of events in posh social circles. Might be a hard decision for her. It will have nothing to do with whether they can rekindle any romantic relationship, cause that's deader than Dead John A. MacDonald!