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Premier Kathleen Wynne says she is very worried about the “turmoil” at city hall over Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s admitted crack cocaine use, but Queen’s Park will not intervene.
Rob Ford must take action: Ontario premier
Premier Kathleen Wynne says she is very worried about the “turmoil” at city hall over Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s admitted crack cocaine use, but Queen’s Park will not intervene.
“Like all Torontonians I am watching this with concern. I have faith in the police service, I have faith in the judicial system and it has to work itself through,” Wynne told reporters Tuesday minutes after Ford confessed to smoking crack after denying it for months.
“I just heard that. I have just heard that admission and . . . the police service and the judicial system have to take action,” said the grim-faced premier, whose government has rallied to the support of Toronto police Chief Bill Blair.
“What’s happening at city hall is of great concern to everyone in the city of Toronto. I am not going to pre-empt what the mayor may or may not do. The mayor will have to make his decisions about what is appropriate right now,” she said.
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“He’s going to have to take action that he thinks is appropriate for the city of Toronto — that’s his responsibility,” said Wynne.
“My concern is that is what’s happening at city hall . . . makes it very difficult for the business of city hall to carry on in a normal way. That’s my biggest concern as a citizen of this city and as premier. We want municipalities to be able to function and there is a huge amount of turmoil at city hall right now and that’s what concerns me.”
But the province is unwilling to step in.
“There are laws in place around when municipal officials can be, must be, removed from office — that’s why I say the police service and the judicial system have to take action. We’re watching it with concern,” she said.
Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey said city council has “lots of tools they can bring into place” under the City of Toronto Act to call Ford to account.
“I would suggest they use those tools,” Jeffrey added, citing investigations by the integrity commissioner, ombudsman or an inquiry.
“The mechanism available is a code of conduct and an integrity commissioner, and those are all components of dealing with areas where Toronto council may feel a violation has occurred,” she told reporters.
The province has “no plans” to amend the City of Toronto Act to give council more powers, she added, noting the province is watching as the Ford saga continues to unfold given details that have come out about the mayor meeting with a drug dealer and a continuing police probe.
“These are very serious allegations and I await what comes out of those investigations.”
Public Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur said “it’s unfortunate what’s going on” at city hall, but she hailed Blair, who is under attack from Ford’s councillor brother, Doug Ford.
“He has been a good police chief is and well respected. I don’t think that the police chief should step aside,” said Meilleur, whose department is responsible for policing in Ontario.
The minister stressed she has every confidence in Blair, but when asked if she had similar faith in Ford, she curtly replied: “No comment.”
Despite the challenge issued to Blair by Doug Ford, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak wouldn’t rule out the mayor's brother as a Tory candidate for Etobicoke North in the next provincial vote.
“We’ll see when the election happens and what Doug’s intentions are. But I’ve got nothing to say about the goings on at city hall. I'm focused on provincial issues,” he told reporters.
“Doug will make decisions down the road. The riding association decides who candidates are. And we’ll see when the election takes place.”
Hudak’s comments came minutes before Rob Ford confirmed the crack cocaine use that the Star originally reported in May.
It was not immediately clear whether the Tories would still want Doug Ford as a candidate now that his brother has come clean.
Earlier this week, Rob Ford boasted that his brother Doug could be premier some day.
Former deputy Toronto mayor Doug Holyday, whom Rob and Doug Ford helped win the Etobicoke-Lakeshore byelection on August 1, had little to saw about the latest developments in the Ford drama unfolding at city hall.
“I don’t know what they’re doing down there or why . . . I'm very glad to be here,” Holyday said, smiling.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, for her part, said the police should be allowed to do their work and that the political issue is in city council’s hands.
Rob Ford video scandal: “He’s lost the moral authority to lead,” Minnan-Wong
“I think he’s lost the moral authority to lead,” Minnan-Wong said moments after Ford’s impromptu press conference. “We’re in unchartered territory,” Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said today.
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For one of Ford's most loyal allies, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, today was the breaking point.
It was a stunning admission that took Rob Ford’s own staff by surprise: “Yes I have smoked crack cocaine.”
For one of his most loyal allies, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, it was the breaking point.
“I think he’s lost the moral authority to lead,” Minnan-Wong said moments after Ford’s impromptu press conference. “We’re in unchartered territory.”
As a member of the mayor’s cabinet-like executive committee, Minnan-Wong is a leader among council’s conservative faction. He has been critical of Ford throughout the mayor’s various blunders and scandals, but always remained loyal to the agenda and ultimately the mayor himself.
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Now, even Minnan-Wong appears in favour of curbing Ford’s power.
At the next council meeting, Minnan-Wong will table a motion calling for Ford to “apologize for misleading the City of Toronto as to the existence of a video,” which appears to show him smoking crack.
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The motion reads: “The evidence presented to date suggests the mayor has a substance abuse problem. The mayor consorts with known criminals and/or individuals involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. The mayor misled the residents of the City of Toronto.”
Other councillors are considering more aggressive measures.
“Some councillors have been talking cutting the mayor’s office budget so dramatically that it wouldn’t be able to function,” said Councillor Jaye Robinson, “but I don’t think that has the support to get through council.”
Council is considering passing a symbolic confidence motion, but it would be a “slap on the wrist” without teeth, Robinson noted. More likely, city council will pass a series of motions stripping Ford of his power.
Left-wing councillor John Filion has already put forward his plan.
Filion has recommended that council prevent the mayor from being able to “appoint and dismiss” the chairs of the standing committees as well as the deputy mayor position.
The idea is that this would give councillors in positions of power the freedom to oppose Ford.
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