TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto’s Rob Ford, a magnet for controversy during two years as mayor of Canada’s largest city, was ordered out of office yesterday after a judge found him guilty of breaking conflict-of-interest laws.
Ontario Superior Court Judge Charles Hackland ruled Ford acted wrongly when he voted at city council to scrap a fine imposed on him for accepting donations to his football foundation from lobbyists.
Ford, who says he plans to appeal the ruling, is one of several Canadian municipal leaders to land in hot water in recent weeks.
The mayors of Montreal and Laval, Quebec, quit earlier this month after allegations made against their administrations in a high-profile inquiry into corruption in Quebec. Both deny wrongdoing. The mayor of London, Ontario, has denied fraud charges levelled against him and has not resigned.]
In Ford’s case, the judge gave him 14 days to leave office but did not bar him from running in a new election for Toronto mayor, opening the door to more political in-fighting.