Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto UPDATES

[Boges]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGWEl8dMdCo

[Topaz]

A municipality lawyer said no mayor can be forced to resign, unless they go to jail,so it seems if people want Ford gone, do it next year when the election comes. The mayor of Montreal said he wouldn't resign and he did. I don't know which is worse, Ford says he won't resign or Ford NOT admitting to himself he has a drug problem. Why doesn't set an example for the young people and go into rehab.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Topaz

[Sheogorath_The_Mad]

I'm sure those who viciously attacked the credibility of The Star and it's reporters will be professing their apologies soon.

[jacee]

Sun Editorial:

While Ford may well want to carry on and rally the Ford Nation to his cause, city council will be all but paralyzed if he continues in office now, pretending that nothing significant has happened.

Simply put, Toronto is more important than its mayor.

Will Ford change his tune tomorrow?

Will he weep and beg for forgiveness on his radio show Sunday?

Will he say he's just trying to employ people?

(Drug dealers and personal thugs need work too!)

Stay tuned ... as the nashun turns ...

[jacee]

Finally some closure!

"While Blair confirmed the video exists, he said it does not contain enough evidence to lay charges against Ford"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-video-showing-alleged-crack-use-in-police-hands-1.2303146

One has to wonder why they couldn't have confirmed this months ago.

So ... you don't care if Ford smokes crack, as long as he doesn't get busted?

[jacee]

A municipality lawyer said no mayor can be forced to resign, unless they go to jail,so it seems if people want Ford gone, do it next year when the election comes. The mayor of Montreal said he wouldn't resign and he did. I don't know which is worse, Ford says he won't resign or Ford NOT admitting to himself he has a drug problem. Why doesn't set an example for the young people and go into rehab.

That would be the right thing to do, take a medical leave for treatment.

It looks like he has a drug and alcohol problem, and likely drives around the city impaired.

I hope the police will get him off the road.

.

[Big Guy]

As much crap as I've given Blair in the past, this is really commendable work. I have no idea how he managed to keep it on course.

While I do not disagree I still feel that Blair went way too far by giving his opinion that he was "disappointed" by what he saw in the video. He claimed that he was speaking as a regular citizen of Toronto - a press conference in full uniform is not the place to give an opinion as a "Regular citizen of Toronto". He also claimed that there was not enough evidence to charge Ford - that is not his call. Law enforcement does not decide when there is sufficient evidence to lay a charge - the judicial system does. Blair is far from the best chief that Toronto has had.

[BubberMiley]

The most revealing information of what the police really thought was not the chief's expression of disappointment. It was the deliberate mention of Ford and Lisi's increased communication at the time of the fellow crackhead's murder.

[eyeball]

The Senate scandal exploding again, and now the video of Ford has been recovered and "is consistent with previous media reports". These have been the most interesting last 2 weeks for Canadian politics in a long time!

I see it more interesting in terms of human nature and how distorted and twisted that nature so often becomes when the governing are exposed to the forces of raw power.

The governed should actually be ashamed for letting their leaders work so closely to the corroding effects of that power without giving them the means to protect themselves (I'd suggest wearable POV cameras) - we don't allow nuclear plant workers to work near reactors or nuclear fuel without adequate shielding after all... this is no different really.

[The_Squid]

There are a few people here who owe the Star reporters an apology.

[The_Squid]

While I do not disagree I still feel that Blair went way too far by giving his opinion that he was "disappointed" by what he saw in the video.

Seriously? When the chief of police sees the mayor, who is the person in charge of policing in the city, hanging out with gangsters smoking crack, you think him saying that he's disappointed is going too far? LOL. That's an asinine view.... I'm surprised he didn't give a stronger adjective than "disappointed".

[The_Squid]

Why yes, they did. :lol:Anyone want to admit they were wrong and it would have been irresponsible of the Star reporters to not disclose what they saw with their own eyes? Anyone?Didn't think so.

Pretty sad that all the Ford supporters who were ridiculous in their pro-crack smoker fervour are nowhere to be seen in this thread. No mea culpas at all? Not even an "oops"?

[jacee]

Pretty sad that all the Ford supporters who were ridiculous in their pro-crack smoker fervour are nowhere to be seen in this thread. No mea culpas at all? Not even an "oops"?

Shady's happy as long as Ford didn't get charged.

[The_Squid]

Shady's happy as long as Ford didn't get charged.

Nor should he be charged. He just can't be mayor... Or any job with an ounce of trust involved. Nor can his apologists be effective councillors.

[The_Squid]

I really don't think the Starr is interested in facts. They want a lynching; the evidence is not a consideration.

What do you think now?

[jacee]

Nor should he be charged. He just can't be mayor... Or any job with an ounce of trust involved. Nor can his apologists be effective councillors.

And he sure as hell shouldn't be driving around drinking and ... throwing out his vodka bottles in a school parking lot. Edited November 1, 2013 by jacee

[Moonlight Graham]

Smoking a substance, even crack, may not in itself be a crime. Selling it and possessing illegal drugs are crimes, but is using illegal drugs a crime? Buying packages from a drug dealer also may not be a crime if nobody knows what's in those packages.

He also claimed that there was not enough evidence to charge Ford - that is not his call. Law enforcement does not decide when there is sufficient evidence to lay a charge - the judicial system does. Blair is far from the best chief that Toronto has had.

Maybe the police already looked into charging Ford and a judge already said there was not enough evidence, and Blair was only reporting this?

[On Guard for Thee]

I wonder who paid Ford's driver to go get that damn video?

[ReeferMadness]

At what point will the citizens of Toronto have had their fill of embarrassment and run this buffoon out of town?

[eyeball]

Do they have recall legislation they can use or do they have to ride things out to his terms bitter end?

[On Guard for Thee]

If the extortion trail leads back to Ford, he's done.

[The_Squid]

No recall. Nothing short of jail can for e a mayor to resign. But there is absolutely nothing that he is going to be able to accomplish when he is a complete pariah, even to his own buddies.

[Black Dog]

Boy oh boy, the Ford camp is doubling down. First, RoFo's lawyer came out demanding Chief Blair's resignation and made reference to the fact that we could have no idea what Rob was smoking in the video (why it could have been tobacco he was smoking. Out of a glass pipe. In a known crack house.) Then DoFo was on the radio this morning demanding the video be released (that being the video they said did not exist), said Rob wasn't lying, but maybe didn't remember being videoed (too high?) and finished by playing the "let who is without sin cast the first stone" card (though perhaps rock would be more apropos). As usual, they are going to delay, attack and try to ride it out. AT this point, I hope the video does get released or leaked (unless there's a chance there's more to come out of the ongoing police investigation). People need to see it.

[jacee]

Smoking crack or not, Rob Ford is spending a lot of time on the taxpayers' dime skulking about with Lisi, drinking vodka in his car, in the bushes ...

Project Brazen 2 ran roughly from mid-June until late September, and all that time, the Toronto mayor spent an inordinate amount of time in short, rushed phone calls to Lisi, and taking short, rushed calls from Lisi, and meeting Lisi. Even if they were only talking, say, football, how on Earth did Ford ever find time to do any actual work? That's the thing about addiction, whether to drugs or football or cigarettes or booze: It's so all-consuming, the beast that won't sleep.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/touch/story.html?id=9111322

I believe Rob Ford's real addiction is alcohol, and I think it's out of control, drinking all day, driving around avoiding the office and his staff, who call Lisi to find Ford.

He shouldn't be on the road, and I think the cops have enough evidence - vodka bottles - to go after Ford for impaired, and get him off the road! And maybe losing his driving freedom will be the wakeup call he needs to take a leave and go to rehab. Nothing else seems to penetrate.

Edited November 1, 2013 by jacee

[Boges]

I'm not even close to defending Ford here. His behaviour is clearly contemptible.

That video needs to come out. It's way to easy to call the Chiefs motives into question.

I remember people on this site doubting what the Chief said in regards to a 911 call where Ford allegedly called someone a Bitch.

It goes both ways.