Rob Ford wins appeal in court, clings to power

Rob Ford has won his court appeal, which means he will remain mayor of Toronto.

The appeal to Divisional Court stems from a November decision, in which Justice Charles Hackland found that the mayor had contravened the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act when he spoke at a council meeting in February 2012 and then voted on an item that had to do with the use of city resources to solicit donations to his private football charity.

The penalty for Ford’s actions, Hackland ruled, was that the mayor would be removed from office, as the law dictates. Ford appealed that decision and was also granted a stay, which allowed him to remain in office until after the appeal.

In the decision released Friday morning, a panel of three judges write that Hackland was wrong: “we conclude that the application judge erred in finding that Mr. Ford contravened the MCIA [Municipal Conflict of Interest Act],” says the judgement... although they don't really explain how Hackland was wrong - and many people think the appeal judges were simply bullied / bribed into allowing the mayor to stay in power.

Now that Ford has won his appeal, he will continue governing at city hall until the next regularly scheduled municipal election, which is in less than two years time, on Oct. 27, 2014.

Rob Ford calls Maple Leafs fans "communists"

Back in 2006, Ford, then a city councilor, was thrown out of a Maple Leafs hockey game for getting into drunken, expletive-laden arguments with fans (and also calling them "communists").

Asked about the incident by a reporter, Ford claimed he "wasn't even at the game."

A few weeks later, he admitted that he was, in fact, at the game. "I had one too many beers and I sincerely apologize," he said.

More likely he was high on weed or crack.

Later in 2006, Ford protested against the city spending $1.5 million to combat AIDS because, “If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s bottom line."

When it was pointed out to him that a growing number of women were being infected with AIDS, Ford replied, "Maybe they are sleeping with bi-sexual men."

Seriously?

How dumb do you have to be to NOT know that AIDS has been jumping ship for over 30 years now and NOT know that you can get AIDS from a variety of ways, and that it is not limited to gay men?

Freaking moron.