TORONTO – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is expected to quickly appeal a court ruling which has ordered him out of office.
Ford has vowed to fight “tooth and nail” against what he calls a left-wing conspiracy which resulted in a judge finding he violated conflict of interest rules.
Ford has 30 days to appeal and says he’ll run for mayor again if he gets no traction in the courts.
His brother, Councillor Doug Ford, is calling on supporters to rally behind the mayor at a championship high school football match Rob Ford will coach later today.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear what role the embattled mayor will play in a Grey Cup parade this morning.
The Toronto Argonauts have dropped a reference to Ford reading a proclamation declaring Nov. 27 Argonauts Day following the team’s win over the Calgary Stampeders and now say a City of Toronto declaration will be part of the event.
The legal action against Ford was launched by businessman Paul Magder, who argued Ford violated the rules when he took part in a council vote over repayment of $3,150 in donations he had solicited for his private football foundation using official city letterhead.
Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland slammed Ford yesterday for what he called “wilful blindness” that could not be excused as a simple slip-up.
Hackland has put his declaration on hold for 14 days to give the city time to deal with the situation.
