VIDEO: Toronto City Council has voted overwhelming to ask Rob Ford to take a leave of absence. Jackson Proskow reports
TORONTO – Rob Ford remains head strong in his desire to remain the mayor of Canada’s largest city despite overwhelming opposition from fellow councillors and mounting allegations on his controversial behaviour.
City councillors passed a non-binding motion Wednesday demanding Ford to step aside, which the mayor refused to do.
“His actions don’t reflect the City of Toronto,” said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong in an interview on The Morning Show. “35 members of council and significant group of the public agree with my position so, we’re lacking leadership at city hall.”
The council meeting saw the mayor also admit to having purchased illegal drugs in the past two years.
READ MORE: Can Rob Ford be charged for admitting he purchased illegal drugs?
That revelation was then followed hours later by new unredacted information from documents related to Toronto Police’s investigation into Ford and his friend Sandro Lisi, which say the mayor’s aides saw him doing drugs, drunk in public and partying with women believed to be prostitutes.
The allegations have not been proven in court and the mayor hasn’t been charged.
“What I have noticed about him is he’s quite belligerent, doesn’t take advice from anybody and just pushes through no matter what anybody says,” said Minnan-Wong. “If he’s not listening to anybody and has alcohol and substance abuse problems, there needs to be an intervention by people his trusts.”
Minnan-Wong says although he has worked with the mayor, they are not friends and has been considered a “loner” on council.
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READ MORE: Mayor under surveillance: Highlights from the latest Rob Ford documents
“He’s remained defiant. The one thing he has remained clear on is that he’s not stepping away,” said municipal lawyer John Mascarin in an interview on The Morning Show. “What will it take? I think it’s going to take at least some criminal charges brought forward and there’s none yet.”
The documents include police interviews with some of those closest to Ford – including former chief of staff Mark Towhey and David Price, a family friend with an unspecified job in the mayor’s office.
The claims come from interviews that police conducted as part of their investigation into a video that appeared to show Ford smoking crack cocaine.
City council had the option to put Mayor Ford under the scrutiny of the city’s Integrity Commissioner but a motion Wednesday to do just that was voted down.
“The code of conduct for the City of Toronto says you have to carry out your duties with integrity and with respect to all other members of council and the electorate,” said Mascarin.
“The Integrity Commissioner can come in and investigate, can find that there’s been a complete contravention, and what can she do, she can recommend two penalties, a reprimand, or suspension of pay for 90 days.”
Meanwhile, two special council meetings have been scheduled for Friday to strip Ford of some of his mayoral powers.
-with files from The Canadian Press
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