If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Near midnight last night, the Toronto Star detailed the video of Mayor Ford allegedly smoking crack cocaine. But while they're the ones questioning Ford's fitness to lead, they're also the ones who are primarily responsible for this mess -- them and our arcane electoral system. The first past the post system made it harder for the non-top-two candidates, including Sarah Thomson, to stay in the race. If we'd had a ranked ballot method of voting, they may have stayed in. I was livid at Thomson quitting, leaving us with two crappy choices. It's no wonder so many of us either didn't vote or seriously considered not voting.
The Toronto Taxpayers Coalition has been an emerging right wing voice in municipal politics since its birth in 2010. According to the group, it advoca...
Toronto's business leaders like to think that they are helping to build a great global city, but casino building is city-ruining of the highest order. A downtown casino will tear holes in Toronto's urban fabric, create more costs than benefits, and send the message that Toronto is on the wrong track.
Exploiting society's most vulnerable citizens, the modus operandi of revenue-generating gambling, is regressive taxation. Gambling is a gateway drug; a city that enables and promotes it violates basic principles of conservatism -- notably, to draw on evidence from other jurisdictions, and to put social problems to heel before they reach metastasis.
Every time it feels like things can't possibly get any worse, Toronto politics finds a way to stoop to a new low. Rob Ford is engaged in yet another race to the bottom. Nonetheless, it's interesting to examine the attacks on Sarah Thomson, and the painfully-flawed logic behind them. But it's really worth examining the true meaning of the statements, and what it says about how sexual assault claims are treated. Exactly what burden of proof do we require before we believe a woman who claims assault? It seems that the court of public opinion requires a higher burden of proof than any other court in the land.
It should go without saying that Sarah Thomson's allegations that Rob Ford groped her must be investigated -- even though she herself has bizarrely refused to press charges thus far. Perhaps she was/is still shocked by the incident and fearful of the repercussions of a legal battle, but it is her duty as a woman -- moreover as a woman with a public profile -- to take the next step and get law enforcement involved.
If Sarah Thomson was groped by Rob Ford, she should have gone to the police and pressed for charges to be laid against the Mayor. Instead, she sought to embarrass Ford publicly. Perhaps to bring him down a notch. Maybe even to boost her public profile. All under the guise of promoting women's rights.
Thrilling as the #Fordcourt ride was, we're back to where we started. Ford Nation -- such as it is -- can enjoy its little victory lap. All I ask is that the Ford brothers set aside the slogans, the catchphrases, the childish vindictiveness, and the belligerent, tribal ignorance that's characterized public discourse in Toronto for the last two years.
I've been told that it's impolite to say "I told you so," so I won't say that exactly. But given today's divisional court ruling overturning Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's removal from office, I will say this: "The lawyer I quoted told you so." That lawyer had warned that the lower court judge was wrong to interpret the law as empowering council to force Mayor Ford to pay out over $3,000 for a code of conduct violation. And today the divisional agreed. Do you think Rob Ford is unfit to lead Toronto? Then begin a campaign for a better candidate for 2014. But don't use the legal system to undo a decision of Toronto's voters.
Despite the grand conspiracy pushed forth by Toronto's anti-high school football illuminati, Rob Ford the World's Greatest Mayor is keeping his job. Sure, Rob Ford may be an angry drunken high school football coach who also just happens to be the mayor, but he's our angry drunken football coach. If you're not one for performance comedy, we can kind of understand why you might be upset about Big Dawg Rob's return, but here at VICE, we would like to to welcome the gravy man back with open arms.
Toronto's weak-mayor model works as cover for the incoherent and distracted leadership style of Rob Ford because expectations have been suppressed for so long.
Recently former Blue Jays baseball player Jose Canseco ventured a tweet announcing his interest in the almost-vacant Toronto mayoral seat. Never mind that Canseco is American and ineligible, and never mind that his steroid past makes him a laughable prospect. What became an easy press field-day revealed a scarier state of affairs -- Rob Ford is just bad enough to make ANYONE seem better as mayor.
Alan Lenczner, Mayor Ford's defence attorney, is a damn good lawyer -- arguably the best litigator around. And he did a bang-up job in court on Monday during Rob Ford's appeal hearing in downtown Toronto. His argument is a legitimate one -- but his argument won't work. That's because it is a policy argument and not a legal argument. Appeal Courts, in general, are not there to reconsider facts -- just law. The appeal will fail.
The most recent adventures with our not-so-tiny, not-so-perfect Mayor in Toronto has got me thinking about those ancient but elusive leadership qualit...
The outcome was inevitable and predictable. Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was found in contravention of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. Whether one is a supporter of Ford or not, Justice Charles Hackland's decision reinforces the importance of two issues -- governance and trust. What went wrong in this scenario?
It was another busy week. The local news captivated me with football, mayorality disgrace, stolen toys and Justin Bieber's wardrobe malfunctions. All train wrecks.
