Supreme Court won’t hear appeal against Mayor Ford
Posted June 20, 2013 3:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal in a conflict-of-interest case against Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
The court dismissed it with costs, but did not give reasons for the ruling.
Lawyer Clayton Ruby was trying to restore a lower court decision from November 2012, in which Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland ruled Ford be removed from office.
However, as part of Ford’s appeal, the decision was overturned by an Ontario Divisional Court panel in January 2013.
Mayor Ford spoke to the media for a minute-and-a-half on Thursday morning.
“I’ve been vindicated and we need to move on,” he said.
He said the case has taken a significant toll on him and his family, financially and emotionally.
“The entire case was driven by the political agenda of a very small group, a group who do not respect democracy,” Ford stated.
He read from a prepared statement and didn’t take any questions.
Deputy mayor Doug Holyday said this was all about antagonizing the mayor.
“There was no reason to take this to the Supreme Court; there was very little likelihood of it every getting put before the Supreme Court,” Holyday said.
“They knew that — they just wanted to continue the story and continue getting in the news, and to continue the aggravation of the mayor,” he added.
Last year, Toronto resident Paul Magder launched a conflict-of-interest lawsuit against the mayor over $3,150 donated to Ford’s private football charity, which the city’s integrity commissioner said was solicited using city resources and violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act.
____
With files from CityNews.ca
