Great day for Toronto Football ...

[Malthus]

... The Argos win the Cup and, more importantly, our mayor has been booted out of office for football-based conflict of interest. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1293190--mayor-rob-ford-guilty-kicked-from-office-but-can-run-again

[Grey Fox]

No Premier, no mayor. Toronto is a power vacuum.

[HVC]

I didn't even know about this trial. Was it in the news, or was i just blind? That's a reletively minor thing to get kicked out of office for. Oh well, when you make enough enemies. He's getting sued by a resturant too, i guess now that he's out of office he'll lose that one too.

[crazy canuck]

Curious, why was the remedy removing him from office and not simply undoing the decision?

[Malthus]

Curious, why was the remedy removing him from office and not simply undoing the decision?

Essentially, that the relevant law requires removal from office where an officeholder fails to comply with the conflict of interest requirements unless the failure was "inadvertant" or through an "error of judgment". There is no provision in the legislation for any lesser penalty for de minimis failures.

So out he goes, even though the judge himself said that the amounts at issue were trivial and there was no question of corruption or anything like that.

[48] I recognize that the circumstances of this case demonstrate that there was absolutely no issue of corruption or pecuniary gain on the respondent's part. His contraventions of the municipal Code of Conduct involved a modest amount of money which he endeavoured to raise for a legitimate charity (his football foundation), which is administered at arm's length through the Community Foundation of Toronto. His remarks to City Council on February 7, 2012, focused at least in part on the proposed sanction against him, in circumstances where many informed commentators would contend that the principles of procedural fairness, audi alteram partem, should have allowed him to speak (although not to vote). The respondent's actions, as far as speaking against the proposed sanction is concerned, was an unfortunate but arguably technical breach of s. 5(1) of the MCIA. The only pecuniary interest the respondent had in the matter before Council was the financial sanction sought to be imposed upon him. Moreover, there were no transparency concerns here, in view of the Integrity Commissioner's initial and follow-up reports, which carefully and accurately explained both the Code of Conduct issues and the respondent's ongoing refusal to comply with Council's repayment resolution adopted at the meeting of August 25, 2010. In short, the relevant facts were fully available to Council at its meeting of February 7, 2012.

[50] In any event, while the respondent's conduct in speaking and voting at the February 7, 2012 City Council meeting was far from the most serious breach of s. 5(1) of the MCIA, removal from office is mandatory unless the respondent's contravention of the MCIA was committed through inadvertence or by reason of an error in judgment. The burden of proof is on the respondent to establish this.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/26/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-removed-from-office-full-text-of-justice-charles-hacklands-verdict/

In fact, he's being screwed (somewhat), which may generate him some sympathy. Only, it's a screwing caused by his aggressive 'know-nothing' attitude.

[HVC]

Mayor hazel (mississauga) makes her son millions through conflict of interest and gets re-elected.  Ford makes 3500 for schools and gets booted. Maybe we are worse then Quebec lol

[CountDeMoney]

lulz, Rocket Ismail.

[Malthus]

Mayor hazel (mississauga) makes her son millions through conflict of interest and gets re-elected.  Ford makes 3500 for schools and gets booted. Maybe we are worse then Quebec lol

First a woman launches a human rights compaint because a man's barber won't give her a haircut. Now, Ford is booted out of office over this.

What can I say? It's a great city to be a lawyer in. 

[HVC]

What can I say? It's a great city to be a lawyer in. 

So you admit it, all our ills are the fault of lawyers?

[Malthus]

What can I say? It's a great city to be a lawyer in. 

So you admit it, all our ills are the fault of lawyers?

No, your ills are your own. Lawyers just profit thereby.

You don't blame the maggots for the fact the meat is rotten, right? 

[HVC]

What can I say? It's a great city to be a lawyer in. 

So you admit it, all our ills are the fault of lawyers?

No, your ills are your own. Lawyers just profit thereby.

You don't blame the maggots for the fact the meat is rotten, right? 

i won't fall for you tricky lawyer talk!

[Josephus]

What can I say? It's a great city to be a lawyer in. 

So you admit it, all our ills are the fault of lawyers?

No, your ills are your own. Lawyers just profit thereby.

You don't blame the maggots for the fact the meat is rotten, right? 

i won't fall for you tricky lawyer talk!

Especially when he said "de minimis."

[Malthus]

Hey, for more lawyer-talk to confuse and upset the proles ... what do you cabal members think of Ford's chances on appeal?

[crazy canuck]

Hey, for more lawyer-talk to confuse and upset the proles ... what do you cabal members think of Ford's chances on appeal?

I am not sure.  If I was his lawyer I think I would take a shot at the constitutionality of the remedy provision. 

[Valmy]

... The Argos win the Cup and, more importantly, our mayor has been booted out of office for football-based conflict of interest. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1293190--mayor-rob-ford-guilty-kicked-from-office-but-can-run-again

Wait how could that possibily be more important than Toronto winning the championship?