Toronto mayor granted stay to halt removal from office

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been granted a stay and will be permitted to remain in office until his appeal process is over, a judge determined Wednesday morning.

A lawyer representing Ford appeared in a downtown Toronto court to ask the judge for the stay.

This comes after a Nov. 26 decision by Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland, who found that Ford had violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and had to be removed from office, as the law stipulates. Hackland gave Ford 14 days to vacate his office.

Ford is appealing Hackland’s decision and, now that this stay has been granted, he is permitted to remain as mayor until the appeal process is complete. An appeal hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, meaning Ford will remain in office until at least that time.

In order to be grated his stay, the request had to pass the following three tests: it has to be a serious issue in the appeal, the applicant (Ford) might have suffered irreparable harm if the stay wasn’t granted and the stay had to be in the public’s best interest.

After deliberating for less than an hour, Ontario Superior Court Justice Gladys Pardu said "this is an appropriate case for a stay," and said that "Ford would suffer irreparable harm" if stay wasn’t granted.

The lawyers who initially argued the case against Ford did not oppose the stay application.

"We are agreeing to this stay to give the city of Toronto a measure of stability, something that has been wholly absent during Mr. Ford’s term in office," lawyer Clayton Ruby said in a statement issued Monday. "Our opposition to Mr. Ford’s appeal, however, will proceed."