I seem to think that the media is puting itself way out on a limb with the Mayor Ford CRACK scandle. I'd like to ask them what a crack pipe looks like. Does it have a lable on it that says " Crack Pipe"? Can one smoke anything other than Crack in a pipe labled "Crack Pipe"? Does Crack have a smell? Can you smell Crack from a vidio recorded from a smart phone? Should someone pay a huge amout of money for a vidio that proves nothing provided by a known Crack Dealer? I see part six or seven of a witch hunt here. A first year law student would eat this up. Maybe the media should quit wile it can.
respected taxpayer - 11 years ago
The money Ford received from the company was made out to the organization he was supporting and they did this 3 years in a row and the company involved has already made it clear they new it had nothing to do with the city. The issue is with the letterhead Ford used as it said city of toronto...is that reason for dismissal?! Hell no!...
Doreen - 11 years ago
If he worked in the private sector and committed an equivilant offense he would be fired - in his position it's even worse as he has violated the trust of the citizens that voted him in.
Rob Ford is arrogant! even if it was $1 it was not his to use . He does not understant basic principles of governance, he should not be in such a position . He is more of an embarasment to Toronto. He aint no leader . He walked all over council over the TTC subway issue. He does not have the qualities to lead a great city like ours. He is more interested in coaching his football team than concern himself with the TONS of issues the city has to deal with. He walks out of meetings to coach his team. He does not understand the responisbility of being a Mayor. He is a Mayor first coach on his own time. He lacks leadership which is very important for this city. This is the first time I see people from Toronto being ashamed of the behaviour of our Mayor. Showing people the finger, reading and driving and arrogantly saying that he is bussy. Leadership is leading by example everything Ford lacks.
Texx - 11 years ago
Why do so many politicians (like Rob Ford) think they are "above the law?"
Nonie Ferrill - 11 years ago
Is it now common practice for the chair [Mayor] of a meeting to participate in the debate and vote along with council members? I thought the chair was to direct the meeting and to vote only when there is a tie. Chairs who wish to participate in the debate should be leaving the chair to someone else suring a part that applies to his ward or his particular sub-committee. I thought Ford was alone in his participation, but reading other posts I see that many other Mayors do the same. What happened to Roberts Rules of Order?
Sign me Confued.
Kevin Jones - 11 years ago
to loose one's job over a $3000 conflict of interest is just ridiculous. If Dalton McGinty can get away with all the broken promises and miss-manage Ontario so badly for so many years and him not being removed, Rob Ford should defiantly keep his job.
Linda - 11 years ago
I'm not a Torontonian but it's hard not to be aware of this man whom I've never really thought of as a politician much less capable of governing a city as large as T.O. So far, he seems to have bulldozed his way through too many municipal conflicts, thrown his weight around too much when it's come to his own interests, including the precious football team, and displayed far too little respect for the people of Toronto, for any logical thinker to consider him anything more than a bully and, quite frankly, a boor and an idiot. His defence against the charges of conflict of interest was so lame I was appalled: he didn't read that section of the handbook??!!?? Yet now he has the audacity to claim he was set up and will fight to maintain his "rightful" position. I truly hope this isn't something that will go away like so many atrocities on the part of politicians, federal, provinicial, regional and municipal. This man needs to be held up as an example on how not to run anything, be it a company, an office, or even a lottery, and get away with fobbing off his official responsibilities. He shows no humility, no respect, and certainly no decency -- all of which I'd think must be essential to attaining a position of such social high ranking. Good riddance, Toronto: I hope Mr Ford gets his desserts and can be replaced by someone with a bit more integrity, and loyalty towards the people of your great city.
Joe - 11 years ago
Rob Ford & his continued supporters fail to notice or even perceive as a problem is for some reason becoming systemic in all levels of politics. Integrity is the last thing on their minds.
One has to wonder how he ran his company or whether or not he was professional & reliable.
If he can't be trusted with 3100 how can he be trusted with handling the city budget. He truley believes that the laws don't apply to a Mayor. So yes out he must go & I don't think we should have to wait the 14 days.
dragoon - 11 years ago
Why do so many people have trouble understanding it's not about the money, nor how much money was involved. It's about particpating in a debate and a vote about which he had a very evident personal interest, when he clearly should not have!!!
livindowntown - 11 years ago
the only whining I hear is the suburban right wingers, crying about how the judgment isn't "fair". the majority of people that wanted Ford in office are those that don't live in Toronto proper. therefore all of his platform promises are catered to those in the GTA. most of us that live in Toronto (y'know the city he's supposed to be the mayor for?) wanted things like fees for bags (which reduced usage over 50%) and vehicle taxes (which would've cut down on emissions and helped the buses and streetcars be a little more reliable).
as far as i'm concerned Ford has blatantly abused his office. it's about time he's out. maybe he can his privatized garbage collectors to haul his ass outta there.
Marie Coulombe - 11 years ago
Ford never used the money he got for himself so it's not as bad as it looks. He sure penalize but that does not make him a bad person. He has no self-interests.
Aless Melito - 11 years ago
Leave Major Ford alone all you left wing crazy politicians! All Ford was doing is support a youth football team!! Why doesn't the province, judges and the hollier than thou political rats go after the dubious politicians in Vaughan and Mississauga! These municipalities are full of corruption by being in bed with developers and the
business community!!!! I hope Ford wins his appeal!
Rick - 11 years ago
Here's a guy who got nothing out of this for himself, absolutely nothing, he was just trying to get some donors to help underprivileged kids to play some sports which they could not afford to play otherwise.... so what he used City of Toronto letterhead, what did it cost the city, a few hundred or more pieces of paper. How much tax payers money did he spend? Does anybody remember that councilor Ford did not use any of his $50,000.00 a year office budget all those years on council.... WTF are we griping about. He is helping some kids here after all. Maybe a rule or two have been broken, so what ...no harm done. Hey he is not always politically correct, but I for one am sick and tired of bending over backwards to please anyone who might be offended by the way we do things here. He is a good man and I feel he is doing a good job, and if he does not win his appeal and has to run again in the next election, He'll have my vote.
Jane Taylor Eastwood - 11 years ago
Thanks to Huffington Post, I read the judgment in full. Mr. Ford broke the law; no question. He has failed to show leadership in matters of integrity. He continues to put at risk the City Council and the City of Toronto and its citizens.
Once upon a time, politicians of whatever stripe would have immediately resigned pending investigation. If their name was cleared, they would resume their position. This was the gracious way to conduct affairs and save everyone from embarassment and division.
Mr. Ford has neither class nor scruples.
Ryan stewart - 11 years ago
I hope you folks get someone like David miller again for mayor. You deserve it.
Trevor Sykes - 11 years ago
This situation is exactly why an independent judiciary, free from political influence, is absolutely necessary in Canada! Allegations of left-wing versus right-wing agendas in the dispute against and for Mayor Ford are the last thing Toronto needs as it looks to the future.
D.Murray - 11 years ago
This must be the Star website with the totals at those percenteges.The majority of Toronto citizens voted for this guy,thats called democracy.Nobody voted for this judge.Whinning left wingers.
John Mead - 11 years ago
Mayor Ford has brought a climate of incivility into City politics,broken the law and should have the decency to go quietly into the sunset . Of course he will not and use his bombastic image to try to convince the electorate that he has been abused
. The City of Toronto deserves better, There should be no costly ( $7m) by election campaign that is disruptive to efficiency
Mayor Fords mandate can be continued by others carrying on the policies he was elected upon in a more civil management either under the auspices od the deputy mayor or a person nominated by the council
Out damn spot! the law and the city have spoken
Micki - 11 years ago
I agree with J Robertsons comment "Where is the fairness in this decision? We have an M.P with criminal charges against him for paying for his daughters wedding with public funds, and another mayor in Brampton who voted for developers in a multi million dollar project after receiving solicited election funds from those same developers.
Hardly seems like a fitting punishment for $3100.00 solicited for a football team!"
Recently there was a police officer in Waterloo that took personal sexual pictures from a womans home that they were called to as she attempted suicide. He took HER personal pictures and shared them with several fellow officers. He's still on the force and simply got demoted. REALLY? Not even going to court.....so as far as Mr Ford....there has to be something more than this to have him lose his job.....there is something we aren't being told....when it comes to politics it's all about who you know, and who likes you or doesn't you...and there have to be some strong political people who don't like Mr Ford. We will only know what the government wants us to know....period.
Doug Johnson - 11 years ago
Rob Ford was told numerous times by the integrity commissioner that what he had done was wrong. The law states that if an elected official has been involved in a conflict of interest and it is proven that there was a conflict of interest then the politician must be removed. There is no black and white. Do the crime do the time. It is so simple!
Brian Rushfeldt - 11 years ago
i hope all those haters of Ford ,for what would otherwise be a minor charge, loose their jobs if they have been one little bit guilty of abuisng company time , calling in sick when they were not, took even one small item from their employer , or used company letterhead or even company computer to do private stuff.
Justice has been made - 11 years ago
I always wondered what was Toronto thinking when elected a man like Rob Ford. With his arrogance he thinks he is above the law just because he became the Mayor of Canada's largest City. It went to his head, I suppose. He thought he could get away with anything even breaking traffic rules as simple as not passing a street car when the streetcar doors are open endangering passengers lives. He not even broke this simple law, he calls the TTC boss to complaining about the streetcar driver for reprimanding him. He was hoping that the driver would be fired. He is an embarrassment to this City. Being a Mayor of a City like Toronto does not suit him. He must go and be forgotten.
Graham Coffeng - 11 years ago
The results of this poll were just reported by CBCNN with considerable different results than what is posted here.
NewMayorTime - 11 years ago
Why is it that everyone who defends Ex-Mayor Ford only has daggers to throw to the left? Clearly Mayor Ford broke the law and claimed to be ignorant of the law so he should NOT be Mayor. It's simple and the judge agreed. It doesn't matter if it's $3,000 or $300,000. It doesn't matter if some other elected official did something worse. It doesn't matter how much it costs to get rid of him. The Mayor has to know the law AND obey the law...or we'll find a new Mayor!!
David - 11 years ago
When you are caught red-handed with your pants down the right thing to do is admit you've screwed up and apologize. That Rob Ford cannot see this is more than enough to demonstrate that he lacks both the judgement and maturity required of senior elected office.
The apologists for Ford sound near hysterical. An example is their continued excoriation of former councillor Kyle Rae for spending twelve thousand dollars by the book on his retirement fete. This is gutterslut politics. If Kyle Rae broke any laws it would have been a trivial act and indeed an important civic responsibility to put the law in motion, yet the mayor's lackeys are impotent.
Ricardo - 11 years ago
When I was on small town Council in Ontario in the 90's the first thing you recieved as a part of council orientation was a copy of the conflict of interest rules, they are dead simple, if you're not smart enough to understand them you shouldn't be there.
Re: Trudeau. Does anyone think the whole country should be run like it's Alberta? Of course not, but that's not an insult against Albertan's, it's the simple truth. The real problem is substituting political propaganda for open dialogue about real issues.
another concerned taxpayer - 11 years ago
Rob Ford is the best mayor that we have had in recent history.It is very ironic that the school system is targeting bullying right now while Rob Ford has had to endure endless harassment & bullying.The Star & CFRB ,as well as the CBC have had their own vengeful vendetta from day one. When are the Liberal & NDP sheep going to wake up & start thinking for themselves.There does not appear to be any unbiased media in this city.Socialism is not far away!
I trust that the Liberals & NDP supporters are happy to pay the 7 million plus dollars that it will cost to have a new election.As a Conservative I think that Mr Ford should sue the city for "wrongful dismissal" and endless invasion of privacy & harassment.He has plenty of written proof (thanks to that same media)to back his case.
Citizen of Toronto - 11 years ago
First the Grey Cup and then Ford ousted? Christmas has definately come early for Torontonians this year for sure.
Ontario Tax Payer - 11 years ago
Whether or not this is just, it would be nice if the centre of the Universe, i.e. urban Toronto, now got its head out of its parochial concerns and realized their boy Dalton has raped this province of billions, ruined the economy, denied the democratic process, and made us a have-not laughing stock. Oh boy though, isn't swell that Rob Ford has been removed???
Colin Rainsbury - 11 years ago
As a member of a Volunteer based Community Committee (Union Station Revitalization) every time we met Conflict of Interest was the first item of the Agenda at each Meeting in which we had to indicate immediately if we had any conflict of Interest.
As an active volunteer Citizen of Toronto, I was constantly reminded of the Law, so for the so-called Mayor of this City to say he was not familiar with this process is unbelievable.
I have no problem in him speaking on the subject but to Vote that is a no-no, and therefore he should be removed form Office.
Ignorance of the Law & also common sense is no excuse.
G.Papa - 11 years ago
Who is behind Mr. Magder?The councilser or group of people should be named pubicly.There is definitly more than one person.
Mr Magder should not have been given free legal exspense by Mr Clayton. Will Mr Clayton be donating the money?
eugatodacinza - 11 years ago
Rob Ford won with a landslide. I guess we are worong.
Areyoukidding - 11 years ago
Free and last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!
Peter MacNeill - 11 years ago
Ford is the most arrogant person in political office in Canada. He seems to care little for the city itself and the people who live in its center. His 905 voters count on him to protect their interests that go against those of people who live in the city center. He was asked to pay back the money and refused ... Now he should grow a set and accept his punishment.
Bert kelly - 11 years ago
The news media both print and tv have never liked the mayor since day one.Why dont you leave him alone to get on with the job.Now they can all get on the Stars bandwagon to parachute Olivia Chow into the job.
J Robertson - 11 years ago
Where is the fairness in this decision? We have an M.P with criminal charges against him for paying for his daughters wedding with public funds, and another mayor in Brampton who voted for developers in a multi million dollar project after receiving solicited election funds from those same developers.
Hardly seems like a fitting punishment for $3100.00 solicited for a football team!
Gillian Nichol - 11 years ago
I am extremely relieved that Rob Ford is now being held accountable for his actions. Up to this point he has put himself above the law and his arrogance in doing so is inexcusable. I have found is lack of ethics and his ignorance (of the laws of his office and so much more) an embarrassment to all of us who care about this city. Bravo for this just verdict and I can only hope we see more sense among voters should he have the audacity to run again.
His 'gravy train' platform set a great stage for him to show us just how much waste he can produce himself!
And in reply to the person who sees this as an extreme penalty for supporting his team... this is about his oath of office and not removing himself from a discussion regarding the conflict of interest. It is not about volunteering and supporting a team. (And most of us who do such volunteer work do not do it using public resources to make it happen.) He is so unethical!
BTW, the application of the term 'left winger' for all those expecting ethical behaviour among our leaders is itself ignorant, naive and irresponsible.
Buckster's opine - 11 years ago
He should have been removed two years ago. Period.
Emily M - 11 years ago
Mr. Ford should have read and learned about conflict of interest and other rules of law and order; he does not deserve any confidence in his ability to lead. The universe is truly unfolding as it should.
Argos Grey Cup...win!
Mayor Ford found in contempt of law...win!
SJ - 11 years ago
The hypocrisy from the mainly downtown left wingers is pathetic. Anything to get what you want. You have followed Fords every move since day one because you are not running the show for your own self serving interests, which was the way you had things for way too many years.
Your " do as I say, not as I do " style is typical.
Talk about bullies - the left have been bullies since Ford became Mayor.
Eric Starblanket - 11 years ago
Not sorry to see him go. He has been a total disaster for the city of Toronto. The people of Toronto should be ashamed to have put someone like Ford in office to represent a world class city.
Millicent Dalrymple-ffrench - 11 years ago
Mayor Ford is an arrogant bully and is an embarassement to the City.
Surely Toronto can do better??
Christena - 11 years ago
it seems that if we have someone in office who will let all the politians have their way, then everyone is happy. Hazel McCallion will be in office till she decides to leave and use the money as she sees fit. As long they all take a big pay cheque home, no one will lose their jobs. Ford should remain in office, and some of the others should take early retirement.
Louis Fernandes - 11 years ago
Ford is the best Mayor we have ever had. He is doing an excellent job. It appears that there are
certain council members who have their own axe to grind and would profit from seeing him out of office. This has been their agenda all along. He has been a very honest and forthright Mayor. His only flaw is that he speaks his mind and therefore should not be penalised for slight fault.
Louis Fernandes
Jane - 11 years ago
HE IS THE BEST BEST BEST MAYOR.
PIMBOCAS - 11 years ago
ALL THE POLL RESULTS PROVE IS THAT THE CBC'S AUDIENCE IS PRIMARILY MADE OF OF THE LEFT WING DEMOGRAPHIC THAT NEVER LIKED HIME AND THAT THE STEREOTYPE ABOUT THE CBC PRIMARILY PLAYING TO THIS GROUP IS TRUE.....
john rowe - 11 years ago
its very obvious that the powers elite have been after rob ford from day one. give the man a brake hes doing his best for the city the old saying is he who is without sin let him throw the first stone.
Fleshwound - 11 years ago
It doesnt take a conflict of interest pamphlet to figure out that voting in favour of something that you stand to directly benefit from isnt very ethical. The fact that he continues to defend his position and claim he did nothing wrong suggests that he lacks the mental acuity to
A: understand simple concepts
B: behave like a mature adult
C: govern Canada's economic engine
A.C. - 11 years ago
The judge is probably getting a kickback for re-starting the gravy train.
Ron Butwell - 11 years ago
Well all the left wingers will be happy now. They think they finally found a way to get rid of Rob Ford. They obviously don't care that Rob Ford was voted in by the majority of Toronto citizens and should be allowed to finish out his term as mayor and be judged on his record if he wishes to run for a 2nd term.
Can you imagine the turmoil and extra costs that will be caused by the left wingers trying to get their man (woman) appointed interim mayor, all for a $ 3000.00 possible mistake.
Hard to believe the majority of citizens of Toronto will put up with these left wing politics.
Who cares if he is a little rough around the edges as long as he gets the job done.
Have you noticed all the road repairs being done around the city.Haven't seen that in years.
Nice to see our tax dollars being spent in the right places finally.
Michael F. - 11 years ago
It's about time this mayor of such a great city gets duped. Canada has learned that bullying is now a real thing, and people get hurt. The Toronto judge did the right thing to get rid of Canada's signature "Bully"
Yourhonour - 11 years ago
Why is it that Ford got this ruling when Jason Kenney did exactly the same thing and then just blamed an underling that got thrown under the bus and then months later was hired back? I think they BOTH should leave office and with this ruling we should all go email Kenney and ask him to step down.
Jim Hickey - 11 years ago
I can't believe that the CEO or ?? would not have advised the Mayor that he should recuse himself from that particular vote.When I was in County Politics, our CEO used to tell anyone before an issue came up on the agenda that they maybe should absent themselves from the room. In my case, I was in the Insurance business and if a County Insurance issue was on the agenda, the CEO would say, Councillor, I guess you will have to exit the room for this one. Just the perception that you might have a conflict was enough. If you are connected personally in any way then you could have a bias that should not belong at the table. I wonder, should the CEO not go as well for not advising the Mayor, or, did he advise him. Jim
Wendy Smith - 11 years ago
I think in light of the recent news involving Municipal politics out of Quebec, all politicians need to make the time to at the very least "read the handbook" before assuming responsibility for the wellbeing of a municipality and its' citizens. Dislike for the fellow aside, the rules are for everyone and they are important. Not very many employees public or private sector would have the audacity to seek donations using company letterhead unless they owned the company. Mr. Ford, you do not own the company and your attitude of entitlement since this issue came to light does not support a plea of ignorance.
Elaine Berns - 11 years ago
I agree that Ford has been a joke and deserves to go! He acts as if he is above the law and other rules like driving while reading and many other things.
I was shocked when he got elected and hope we can get rid of him soon for good. I saw him and the mayor of Calgary together and kept hoping it had been a bad dream and we could make the switch. How did Calgary get the intelligent Mayor and we the not so much.
Whatever happens, I look forward to having someone else whether its Olivia Chow or someone else on city council who would represent this city in a more forward looking way!
Hopefully this will end this mess, but given what Ford is like, he may drag this out .......
Mark - 11 years ago
He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ford could have simply reimbursed the money and left it at that. Three grand is not a lot of money to someone who is making six figures.
nancy Thompson - 11 years ago
I agree with the decision plus am in agreement with Clayton Ruby's remarks in that Rob Ford did this to himself. Ford ignored advice and could have easily reimbursed the money, but decided to be stubborn and act above the law. I also heard Georgio Mammoliti's remarks thinking this is a left-wing pursuit. He's wrong as well. What poppeycock!
Greg - 11 years ago
Everyone "pro-Ford" seems to be whining about the costs of a new election, court fees, new contracts being actually tendered, etc...
This is nothing compared to the cost of having corrupt government officials in office.
If we went after all the corrupt politicians we'd all be paying less taxes and getting more done.
Patrick Dingwell - 11 years ago
Mayor ford is an arrogant man, he could have avoided this outcome if he had used common sense, but oh no, he bulldozed on expecting to be treated differently by the court. He broke the rules and now he must pay the price. I have no symapthy for him.
valentino ruffo - 11 years ago
If Mayor Ford had not decided that he was above the law while driving and talking on a cell phone..If he had not got someone in the Street dept. to re- pave the street in front of his family's printing company..Had Rob Ford not had a TTC bus re -routed to pick up his football team and had Rob Ford not acted like a buffoon..I still would have thought that his conflict of interest should have had him kicked out of office...he has is a sad sack mayor who gave up on his cut the waist challenge..
John - 11 years ago
we sure go after a mayor that breaks a law for nickles and dimes but when polititions and bankers break laws for millions and billions ???????? and it only tooks a few months ??????
Agreed - 11 years ago
@cusLorne - it does seem like a bit of a steep penalty; however, the fact that he completely disregarded the rules surrounding "Conflict of Interest" makes me completely agree with the decision of this judge. Elected representatives at every level of government need to be held to a certain ethical standard. If he had acknowledged the unintentional conflict and reimbursed the donations as recommended by the City of Toronto's Integrity Commissioner - this would have been a none issue and he would still be Mayor.
As a recently elected Town Councillor myself, I can assure you that there is no way he was unaware of the rules surrounding Conflict of Interest. My first months as a Councillor (of a small municipality) were inundated with seminars & presentations on the roles & responsibilities of being a Councillor and a lot of time and effort was spent on explaining the rules around "Conflict of Interest". When in doubt - declare a conflict and remove yourself from the voting process. Very simple.
Michel Paquet - 11 years ago
Ah! Ah! Santa arrived early this year. That’s the best gift for all the Torontonians.
This has been two years of embarrassment for the people of Toronto. Similar to Bush with his "weapons of mass destruction" which did not exist, Ford propaganda campaign "Stop the Gravy Train", has been proven to be false.
The law applies to everyone, regardless of who you are or represent. Ford is a public figure and he should lead by example. Justice prevailed.
Larry Willman - 11 years ago
I'm a GTA resident and l'm refreshed by this decision to remove Ford from office. He's still unrepentant and blames the left wingers for his plight. He and his continued supporters might want to give their integrity a reality check.
concerned tax payer - 11 years ago
Rob Ford has been an embarassment to the city of Toronto long before he was elected Mayor. Not only does his physical appearance belie a professional image (yes, sometimes looks do matter!) he has brought too much controversy to his position. What happened to the time when an elected official - whether municipal, provincial or federal acted like they were in office to truly serve their constituents and showed a little respect for those same people by presenting a professional and non-controversial public image.
cuzLorne - 11 years ago
Rob Ford is like a bull in a china shop (although didn't Calgary once bring a bison into a china shop in TO at Grey Cup a few years ago without damage?!), but isn't this penalty for him having supported his youth charity a bit steep?
Compare that with the Conflict of Interest case against Hazel McCallion, who clearly & actively supported her son in a multi-million-dollar business transaction? What happened to her?
I seem to think that the media is puting itself way out on a limb with the Mayor Ford CRACK scandle. I'd like to ask them what a crack pipe looks like. Does it have a lable on it that says " Crack Pipe"? Can one smoke anything other than Crack in a pipe labled "Crack Pipe"? Does Crack have a smell? Can you smell Crack from a vidio recorded from a smart phone? Should someone pay a huge amout of money for a vidio that proves nothing provided by a known Crack Dealer? I see part six or seven of a witch hunt here. A first year law student would eat this up. Maybe the media should quit wile it can.
The money Ford received from the company was made out to the organization he was supporting and they did this 3 years in a row and the company involved has already made it clear they new it had nothing to do with the city. The issue is with the letterhead Ford used as it said city of toronto...is that reason for dismissal?! Hell no!...
If he worked in the private sector and committed an equivilant offense he would be fired - in his position it's even worse as he has violated the trust of the citizens that voted him in.
Rob Ford is arrogant! even if it was $1 it was not his to use . He does not understant basic principles of governance, he should not be in such a position . He is more of an embarasment to Toronto. He aint no leader . He walked all over council over the TTC subway issue. He does not have the qualities to lead a great city like ours. He is more interested in coaching his football team than concern himself with the TONS of issues the city has to deal with. He walks out of meetings to coach his team. He does not understand the responisbility of being a Mayor. He is a Mayor first coach on his own time. He lacks leadership which is very important for this city. This is the first time I see people from Toronto being ashamed of the behaviour of our Mayor. Showing people the finger, reading and driving and arrogantly saying that he is bussy. Leadership is leading by example everything Ford lacks.
Why do so many politicians (like Rob Ford) think they are "above the law?"
Is it now common practice for the chair [Mayor] of a meeting to participate in the debate and vote along with council members? I thought the chair was to direct the meeting and to vote only when there is a tie. Chairs who wish to participate in the debate should be leaving the chair to someone else suring a part that applies to his ward or his particular sub-committee. I thought Ford was alone in his participation, but reading other posts I see that many other Mayors do the same. What happened to Roberts Rules of Order?
Sign me Confued.
to loose one's job over a $3000 conflict of interest is just ridiculous. If Dalton McGinty can get away with all the broken promises and miss-manage Ontario so badly for so many years and him not being removed, Rob Ford should defiantly keep his job.
I'm not a Torontonian but it's hard not to be aware of this man whom I've never really thought of as a politician much less capable of governing a city as large as T.O. So far, he seems to have bulldozed his way through too many municipal conflicts, thrown his weight around too much when it's come to his own interests, including the precious football team, and displayed far too little respect for the people of Toronto, for any logical thinker to consider him anything more than a bully and, quite frankly, a boor and an idiot. His defence against the charges of conflict of interest was so lame I was appalled: he didn't read that section of the handbook??!!?? Yet now he has the audacity to claim he was set up and will fight to maintain his "rightful" position. I truly hope this isn't something that will go away like so many atrocities on the part of politicians, federal, provinicial, regional and municipal. This man needs to be held up as an example on how not to run anything, be it a company, an office, or even a lottery, and get away with fobbing off his official responsibilities. He shows no humility, no respect, and certainly no decency -- all of which I'd think must be essential to attaining a position of such social high ranking. Good riddance, Toronto: I hope Mr Ford gets his desserts and can be replaced by someone with a bit more integrity, and loyalty towards the people of your great city.
Rob Ford & his continued supporters fail to notice or even perceive as a problem is for some reason becoming systemic in all levels of politics. Integrity is the last thing on their minds.
One has to wonder how he ran his company or whether or not he was professional & reliable.
If he can't be trusted with 3100 how can he be trusted with handling the city budget. He truley believes that the laws don't apply to a Mayor. So yes out he must go & I don't think we should have to wait the 14 days.
Why do so many people have trouble understanding it's not about the money, nor how much money was involved. It's about particpating in a debate and a vote about which he had a very evident personal interest, when he clearly should not have!!!
the only whining I hear is the suburban right wingers, crying about how the judgment isn't "fair". the majority of people that wanted Ford in office are those that don't live in Toronto proper. therefore all of his platform promises are catered to those in the GTA. most of us that live in Toronto (y'know the city he's supposed to be the mayor for?) wanted things like fees for bags (which reduced usage over 50%) and vehicle taxes (which would've cut down on emissions and helped the buses and streetcars be a little more reliable).
as far as i'm concerned Ford has blatantly abused his office. it's about time he's out. maybe he can his privatized garbage collectors to haul his ass outta there.
Ford never used the money he got for himself so it's not as bad as it looks. He sure penalize but that does not make him a bad person. He has no self-interests.
Leave Major Ford alone all you left wing crazy politicians! All Ford was doing is support a youth football team!! Why doesn't the province, judges and the hollier than thou political rats go after the dubious politicians in Vaughan and Mississauga! These municipalities are full of corruption by being in bed with developers and the
business community!!!! I hope Ford wins his appeal!
Here's a guy who got nothing out of this for himself, absolutely nothing, he was just trying to get some donors to help underprivileged kids to play some sports which they could not afford to play otherwise.... so what he used City of Toronto letterhead, what did it cost the city, a few hundred or more pieces of paper. How much tax payers money did he spend? Does anybody remember that councilor Ford did not use any of his $50,000.00 a year office budget all those years on council.... WTF are we griping about. He is helping some kids here after all. Maybe a rule or two have been broken, so what ...no harm done. Hey he is not always politically correct, but I for one am sick and tired of bending over backwards to please anyone who might be offended by the way we do things here. He is a good man and I feel he is doing a good job, and if he does not win his appeal and has to run again in the next election, He'll have my vote.
Thanks to Huffington Post, I read the judgment in full. Mr. Ford broke the law; no question. He has failed to show leadership in matters of integrity. He continues to put at risk the City Council and the City of Toronto and its citizens.
Once upon a time, politicians of whatever stripe would have immediately resigned pending investigation. If their name was cleared, they would resume their position. This was the gracious way to conduct affairs and save everyone from embarassment and division.
Mr. Ford has neither class nor scruples.
I hope you folks get someone like David miller again for mayor. You deserve it.
This situation is exactly why an independent judiciary, free from political influence, is absolutely necessary in Canada! Allegations of left-wing versus right-wing agendas in the dispute against and for Mayor Ford are the last thing Toronto needs as it looks to the future.
This must be the Star website with the totals at those percenteges.The majority of Toronto citizens voted for this guy,thats called democracy.Nobody voted for this judge.Whinning left wingers.
Mayor Ford has brought a climate of incivility into City politics,broken the law and should have the decency to go quietly into the sunset . Of course he will not and use his bombastic image to try to convince the electorate that he has been abused
. The City of Toronto deserves better, There should be no costly ( $7m) by election campaign that is disruptive to efficiency
Mayor Fords mandate can be continued by others carrying on the policies he was elected upon in a more civil management either under the auspices od the deputy mayor or a person nominated by the council
Out damn spot! the law and the city have spoken
I agree with J Robertsons comment "Where is the fairness in this decision? We have an M.P with criminal charges against him for paying for his daughters wedding with public funds, and another mayor in Brampton who voted for developers in a multi million dollar project after receiving solicited election funds from those same developers.
Hardly seems like a fitting punishment for $3100.00 solicited for a football team!"
Recently there was a police officer in Waterloo that took personal sexual pictures from a womans home that they were called to as she attempted suicide. He took HER personal pictures and shared them with several fellow officers. He's still on the force and simply got demoted. REALLY? Not even going to court.....so as far as Mr Ford....there has to be something more than this to have him lose his job.....there is something we aren't being told....when it comes to politics it's all about who you know, and who likes you or doesn't you...and there have to be some strong political people who don't like Mr Ford. We will only know what the government wants us to know....period.
Rob Ford was told numerous times by the integrity commissioner that what he had done was wrong. The law states that if an elected official has been involved in a conflict of interest and it is proven that there was a conflict of interest then the politician must be removed. There is no black and white. Do the crime do the time. It is so simple!
i hope all those haters of Ford ,for what would otherwise be a minor charge, loose their jobs if they have been one little bit guilty of abuisng company time , calling in sick when they were not, took even one small item from their employer , or used company letterhead or even company computer to do private stuff.
I always wondered what was Toronto thinking when elected a man like Rob Ford. With his arrogance he thinks he is above the law just because he became the Mayor of Canada's largest City. It went to his head, I suppose. He thought he could get away with anything even breaking traffic rules as simple as not passing a street car when the streetcar doors are open endangering passengers lives. He not even broke this simple law, he calls the TTC boss to complaining about the streetcar driver for reprimanding him. He was hoping that the driver would be fired. He is an embarrassment to this City. Being a Mayor of a City like Toronto does not suit him. He must go and be forgotten.
The results of this poll were just reported by CBCNN with considerable different results than what is posted here.
Why is it that everyone who defends Ex-Mayor Ford only has daggers to throw to the left? Clearly Mayor Ford broke the law and claimed to be ignorant of the law so he should NOT be Mayor. It's simple and the judge agreed. It doesn't matter if it's $3,000 or $300,000. It doesn't matter if some other elected official did something worse. It doesn't matter how much it costs to get rid of him. The Mayor has to know the law AND obey the law...or we'll find a new Mayor!!
When you are caught red-handed with your pants down the right thing to do is admit you've screwed up and apologize. That Rob Ford cannot see this is more than enough to demonstrate that he lacks both the judgement and maturity required of senior elected office.
The apologists for Ford sound near hysterical. An example is their continued excoriation of former councillor Kyle Rae for spending twelve thousand dollars by the book on his retirement fete. This is gutterslut politics. If Kyle Rae broke any laws it would have been a trivial act and indeed an important civic responsibility to put the law in motion, yet the mayor's lackeys are impotent.
When I was on small town Council in Ontario in the 90's the first thing you recieved as a part of council orientation was a copy of the conflict of interest rules, they are dead simple, if you're not smart enough to understand them you shouldn't be there.
Re: Trudeau. Does anyone think the whole country should be run like it's Alberta? Of course not, but that's not an insult against Albertan's, it's the simple truth. The real problem is substituting political propaganda for open dialogue about real issues.
Rob Ford is the best mayor that we have had in recent history.It is very ironic that the school system is targeting bullying right now while Rob Ford has had to endure endless harassment & bullying.The Star & CFRB ,as well as the CBC have had their own vengeful vendetta from day one. When are the Liberal & NDP sheep going to wake up & start thinking for themselves.There does not appear to be any unbiased media in this city.Socialism is not far away!
I trust that the Liberals & NDP supporters are happy to pay the 7 million plus dollars that it will cost to have a new election.As a Conservative I think that Mr Ford should sue the city for "wrongful dismissal" and endless invasion of privacy & harassment.He has plenty of written proof (thanks to that same media)to back his case.
First the Grey Cup and then Ford ousted? Christmas has definately come early for Torontonians this year for sure.
Whether or not this is just, it would be nice if the centre of the Universe, i.e. urban Toronto, now got its head out of its parochial concerns and realized their boy Dalton has raped this province of billions, ruined the economy, denied the democratic process, and made us a have-not laughing stock. Oh boy though, isn't swell that Rob Ford has been removed???
As a member of a Volunteer based Community Committee (Union Station Revitalization) every time we met Conflict of Interest was the first item of the Agenda at each Meeting in which we had to indicate immediately if we had any conflict of Interest.
As an active volunteer Citizen of Toronto, I was constantly reminded of the Law, so for the so-called Mayor of this City to say he was not familiar with this process is unbelievable.
I have no problem in him speaking on the subject but to Vote that is a no-no, and therefore he should be removed form Office.
Ignorance of the Law & also common sense is no excuse.
Who is behind Mr. Magder?The councilser or group of people should be named pubicly.There is definitly more than one person.
Mr Magder should not have been given free legal exspense by Mr Clayton. Will Mr Clayton be donating the money?
Rob Ford won with a landslide. I guess we are worong.
Free and last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!
Ford is the most arrogant person in political office in Canada. He seems to care little for the city itself and the people who live in its center. His 905 voters count on him to protect their interests that go against those of people who live in the city center. He was asked to pay back the money and refused ... Now he should grow a set and accept his punishment.
The news media both print and tv have never liked the mayor since day one.Why dont you leave him alone to get on with the job.Now they can all get on the Stars bandwagon to parachute Olivia Chow into the job.
Where is the fairness in this decision? We have an M.P with criminal charges against him for paying for his daughters wedding with public funds, and another mayor in Brampton who voted for developers in a multi million dollar project after receiving solicited election funds from those same developers.
Hardly seems like a fitting punishment for $3100.00 solicited for a football team!
I am extremely relieved that Rob Ford is now being held accountable for his actions. Up to this point he has put himself above the law and his arrogance in doing so is inexcusable. I have found is lack of ethics and his ignorance (of the laws of his office and so much more) an embarrassment to all of us who care about this city. Bravo for this just verdict and I can only hope we see more sense among voters should he have the audacity to run again.
His 'gravy train' platform set a great stage for him to show us just how much waste he can produce himself!
And in reply to the person who sees this as an extreme penalty for supporting his team... this is about his oath of office and not removing himself from a discussion regarding the conflict of interest. It is not about volunteering and supporting a team. (And most of us who do such volunteer work do not do it using public resources to make it happen.) He is so unethical!
BTW, the application of the term 'left winger' for all those expecting ethical behaviour among our leaders is itself ignorant, naive and irresponsible.
He should have been removed two years ago. Period.
Mr. Ford should have read and learned about conflict of interest and other rules of law and order; he does not deserve any confidence in his ability to lead. The universe is truly unfolding as it should.
Argos Grey Cup...win!
Mayor Ford found in contempt of law...win!
The hypocrisy from the mainly downtown left wingers is pathetic. Anything to get what you want. You have followed Fords every move since day one because you are not running the show for your own self serving interests, which was the way you had things for way too many years.
Your " do as I say, not as I do " style is typical.
Talk about bullies - the left have been bullies since Ford became Mayor.
Not sorry to see him go. He has been a total disaster for the city of Toronto. The people of Toronto should be ashamed to have put someone like Ford in office to represent a world class city.
Mayor Ford is an arrogant bully and is an embarassement to the City.
Surely Toronto can do better??
it seems that if we have someone in office who will let all the politians have their way, then everyone is happy. Hazel McCallion will be in office till she decides to leave and use the money as she sees fit. As long they all take a big pay cheque home, no one will lose their jobs. Ford should remain in office, and some of the others should take early retirement.
Ford is the best Mayor we have ever had. He is doing an excellent job. It appears that there are
certain council members who have their own axe to grind and would profit from seeing him out of office. This has been their agenda all along. He has been a very honest and forthright Mayor. His only flaw is that he speaks his mind and therefore should not be penalised for slight fault.
Louis Fernandes
HE IS THE BEST BEST BEST MAYOR.
ALL THE POLL RESULTS PROVE IS THAT THE CBC'S AUDIENCE IS PRIMARILY MADE OF OF THE LEFT WING DEMOGRAPHIC THAT NEVER LIKED HIME AND THAT THE STEREOTYPE ABOUT THE CBC PRIMARILY PLAYING TO THIS GROUP IS TRUE.....
its very obvious that the powers elite have been after rob ford from day one. give the man a brake hes doing his best for the city the old saying is he who is without sin let him throw the first stone.
It doesnt take a conflict of interest pamphlet to figure out that voting in favour of something that you stand to directly benefit from isnt very ethical. The fact that he continues to defend his position and claim he did nothing wrong suggests that he lacks the mental acuity to
A: understand simple concepts
B: behave like a mature adult
C: govern Canada's economic engine
The judge is probably getting a kickback for re-starting the gravy train.
Well all the left wingers will be happy now. They think they finally found a way to get rid of Rob Ford. They obviously don't care that Rob Ford was voted in by the majority of Toronto citizens and should be allowed to finish out his term as mayor and be judged on his record if he wishes to run for a 2nd term.
Can you imagine the turmoil and extra costs that will be caused by the left wingers trying to get their man (woman) appointed interim mayor, all for a $ 3000.00 possible mistake.
Hard to believe the majority of citizens of Toronto will put up with these left wing politics.
Who cares if he is a little rough around the edges as long as he gets the job done.
Have you noticed all the road repairs being done around the city.Haven't seen that in years.
Nice to see our tax dollars being spent in the right places finally.
It's about time this mayor of such a great city gets duped. Canada has learned that bullying is now a real thing, and people get hurt. The Toronto judge did the right thing to get rid of Canada's signature "Bully"
Why is it that Ford got this ruling when Jason Kenney did exactly the same thing and then just blamed an underling that got thrown under the bus and then months later was hired back? I think they BOTH should leave office and with this ruling we should all go email Kenney and ask him to step down.
I can't believe that the CEO or ?? would not have advised the Mayor that he should recuse himself from that particular vote.When I was in County Politics, our CEO used to tell anyone before an issue came up on the agenda that they maybe should absent themselves from the room. In my case, I was in the Insurance business and if a County Insurance issue was on the agenda, the CEO would say, Councillor, I guess you will have to exit the room for this one. Just the perception that you might have a conflict was enough. If you are connected personally in any way then you could have a bias that should not belong at the table. I wonder, should the CEO not go as well for not advising the Mayor, or, did he advise him. Jim
I think in light of the recent news involving Municipal politics out of Quebec, all politicians need to make the time to at the very least "read the handbook" before assuming responsibility for the wellbeing of a municipality and its' citizens. Dislike for the fellow aside, the rules are for everyone and they are important. Not very many employees public or private sector would have the audacity to seek donations using company letterhead unless they owned the company. Mr. Ford, you do not own the company and your attitude of entitlement since this issue came to light does not support a plea of ignorance.
I agree that Ford has been a joke and deserves to go! He acts as if he is above the law and other rules like driving while reading and many other things.
I was shocked when he got elected and hope we can get rid of him soon for good. I saw him and the mayor of Calgary together and kept hoping it had been a bad dream and we could make the switch. How did Calgary get the intelligent Mayor and we the not so much.
Whatever happens, I look forward to having someone else whether its Olivia Chow or someone else on city council who would represent this city in a more forward looking way!
Hopefully this will end this mess, but given what Ford is like, he may drag this out .......
He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ford could have simply reimbursed the money and left it at that. Three grand is not a lot of money to someone who is making six figures.
I agree with the decision plus am in agreement with Clayton Ruby's remarks in that Rob Ford did this to himself. Ford ignored advice and could have easily reimbursed the money, but decided to be stubborn and act above the law. I also heard Georgio Mammoliti's remarks thinking this is a left-wing pursuit. He's wrong as well. What poppeycock!
Everyone "pro-Ford" seems to be whining about the costs of a new election, court fees, new contracts being actually tendered, etc...
This is nothing compared to the cost of having corrupt government officials in office.
If we went after all the corrupt politicians we'd all be paying less taxes and getting more done.
Mayor ford is an arrogant man, he could have avoided this outcome if he had used common sense, but oh no, he bulldozed on expecting to be treated differently by the court. He broke the rules and now he must pay the price. I have no symapthy for him.
If Mayor Ford had not decided that he was above the law while driving and talking on a cell phone..If he had not got someone in the Street dept. to re- pave the street in front of his family's printing company..Had Rob Ford not had a TTC bus re -routed to pick up his football team and had Rob Ford not acted like a buffoon..I still would have thought that his conflict of interest should have had him kicked out of office...he has is a sad sack mayor who gave up on his cut the waist challenge..
we sure go after a mayor that breaks a law for nickles and dimes but when polititions and bankers break laws for millions and billions ???????? and it only tooks a few months ??????
@cusLorne - it does seem like a bit of a steep penalty; however, the fact that he completely disregarded the rules surrounding "Conflict of Interest" makes me completely agree with the decision of this judge. Elected representatives at every level of government need to be held to a certain ethical standard. If he had acknowledged the unintentional conflict and reimbursed the donations as recommended by the City of Toronto's Integrity Commissioner - this would have been a none issue and he would still be Mayor.
As a recently elected Town Councillor myself, I can assure you that there is no way he was unaware of the rules surrounding Conflict of Interest. My first months as a Councillor (of a small municipality) were inundated with seminars & presentations on the roles & responsibilities of being a Councillor and a lot of time and effort was spent on explaining the rules around "Conflict of Interest". When in doubt - declare a conflict and remove yourself from the voting process. Very simple.
Ah! Ah! Santa arrived early this year. That’s the best gift for all the Torontonians.
This has been two years of embarrassment for the people of Toronto. Similar to Bush with his "weapons of mass destruction" which did not exist, Ford propaganda campaign "Stop the Gravy Train", has been proven to be false.
The law applies to everyone, regardless of who you are or represent. Ford is a public figure and he should lead by example. Justice prevailed.
I'm a GTA resident and l'm refreshed by this decision to remove Ford from office. He's still unrepentant and blames the left wingers for his plight. He and his continued supporters might want to give their integrity a reality check.
Rob Ford has been an embarassment to the city of Toronto long before he was elected Mayor. Not only does his physical appearance belie a professional image (yes, sometimes looks do matter!) he has brought too much controversy to his position. What happened to the time when an elected official - whether municipal, provincial or federal acted like they were in office to truly serve their constituents and showed a little respect for those same people by presenting a professional and non-controversial public image.
Rob Ford is like a bull in a china shop (although didn't Calgary once bring a bison into a china shop in TO at Grey Cup a few years ago without damage?!), but isn't this penalty for him having supported his youth charity a bit steep?
Compare that with the Conflict of Interest case against Hazel McCallion, who clearly & actively supported her son in a multi-million-dollar business transaction? What happened to her?