Kelly was joined by a handful of councillors to blow out the candles on the cake in the City Hall rotunda as part of a brief ceremony marking the milestone — York was incorporated as a town on March 6, 1834.
“This is a magnificent city and the people who founded it, I’m sure, wouldn’t have expected to see the magnificent metropolis that now sits beside Lake Ontario,” Kelly said.
“I’m glad that they planted the seeds here in Toronto. I think the virtues of hard work and fair play have guided us all throughout our various manifestations and I’m delighted that we’ve maintained that spirit while we’ve changed the physical look of the city.”
The deputy mayor’s office organized the event quickly when they realized nothing had been planned to mark the milestone. An e-mailed invitation went out from the deputy mayor’s office to the mayor, councillors and staff around 45 minutes before the event.
Kelly confirmed he’ll be paying for the cake out of his own pocket and won’t be billing his office budget.
“It didn’t cost the taxpayers any money at all,” he said.
Asked why Mayor Rob Ford wasn’t at the event, Kelly shrugged.
“I understand he is in Etobicoke,” Kelly said.
“We invited everyone that was present at City Hall.”
Ford spent most of Thursday touring two private apartment buildings in Etobicoke.
Council voted last month to designate March 6 as City of Toronto Day.
The City of Toronto Day proclamation posted Thursday had to be revised because it described the city as a country.
A city spokesman admitted the blunder and promised to have it fixed.
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