Rob Ford voted against 6 of his own accomplishments

The following is a list of Rob Ford's proclaimed accomplishments... including 6 that he actually voted against. The list was researched and written ...

By Matt Elliott of Metro News

Two months after registering for re-election, Mayor Rob Ford finally has a campaign website.

There was what seemed to be a mad rush to get it ready it over the weekend, prior to the mayor’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Ford did manage to get in a quick plug for the site while talking to Kimmel. You probably missed it because you were cringing and hiding your eyes.

It’s probably good that the website isn’t getting a ton of attention, because it’s packed with inaccuracies. In addition to a biography that claims Ford is still coaching football at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School — he was banned from coaching by the school board almost a year ago — the site also has an “accomplishments” section that plays very loose with the facts. So loose, there’s no choice but to do an exhaustive fact check on every single item — my biggest fact check ever.

The following are the list of accomplishments taken off Ford’s website on Monday, March 3. Don’t blame me for the weird capitalization — it was like that when I got there.

But it’s not just the presentation that feels haphazard. The list itself actually leaves out or glosses over a few things that Ford probably should be at least attempting to present as accomplishments.

Of the accomplishments the list does include, several of them are based on bad data. Some are so vague as to be almost meaningless. And at least six of the mayor’s accomplishments relate to things that Ford actually voted against, either as mayor or as councillor.

Here’s the list:

Introduced a Customer Service Reception Desk in City Hall

I can’t find any record of Ford bringing an item to council to create this desk, but there does seem to be a desk near the entrance of city hall where people can ask questions.

Made Nathan Phillips Square Safe and Inviting for Citizens

Ford may be referring to one of two things here. Either this is about a Sue Ann Levy column that complained about too many homeless people in the square, which prompted Ford to complain to the city manager and apparently step up enforcement. Or it’s about the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project.

If it’s about the latter, Ford doesn’t have much room to brag. The project began long before Ford became mayor and in 2007 he voted against it. (Page 95) Later, as council debated the 2009 capital budget, Ford moved to remove all funding for the project. (Page 6)

Improving Communication with the City through 311 and mobile apps

311 was a project of the previous administration. Ford was against it. On December 8, 2009, Ford moved to eliminate all funding for plans to implement it.

Improving TTC service

On January 10, 2011, Ford announced his first budget would cut service on dozens of TTC routes. Since then, the fare subsidy for the TTC remains below 2010 levels and the system is wracked widely-reported instances of crowding.

Made TTC an Essential Service

Yep.

Improving Toronto EMS and Toronto Fire Services

Too vague to verify.

Renewed public faith in TCHC

Ford is likely referring to his move to replace the TCHC Board following a 2011 spending scandal. Sure, many felt that action was necessary, but that was also three years ago. Is there still reason for the public to have faith in TCHC? The waiting list for social housing in Toronto has grown from 78,187 in early 2011 to 90,157 last fall. Meanwhile, the TCHC CEO appointed under the Ford administration has been dogged by issues relating to HR practices. The board has since forced him to get more management training.

Made Council more Transparent & Accountable

It’s unclear exactly what this means. In 2010, Ford did propose a series of reforms designed to increase transparency but many of them were not implemented. Most never even came to council or committee for debate.

Posted More Expenses Online

Councillors were already posting their expense online when Ford took office. Under Ford, staff do post expenses made with city-issued credit cards, though the usefulness of this data can be questioned. Still, we’ll give him this one.

Adopted Whistleblower Protection By-law

A true fact.

Eliminated the Personal Vehicle Tax (PVT)

Yep. Though, contrary to Ford’s common refrain, doing so didn’t save the city $240 million somehow.

Reduced Council Expense Budgets

He did. Though council later instituted further reforms that included the creation of a general expense budget shared by all councillors.

Contracted out Garbage Collection

Partial credit. Ford technically only contracted out garbage collection service in one of the city’s four districts. One district was already contracted out prior to this term. Half the city continues to receive city-run service.

Stopped out-of-control spending growth at City Hall

I’m not sure it’s possible for this to be any more vague. Most of the city spending growth over the last decade has been to the gross operating budget, while the net operating budget has grown slowly. This is an important distinction, as the gross budget includes services funded by user fees and transfers from other orders of government. I’ve written lots about this.

Lower Debt- Reduced planned debt by $808 Million

The city’s debt has actually increased under Ford, though that’s due to prior commitments. Planned debt has in fact decreased under Ford, but some of that is because of offsets from a financing strategy introduced in 2012 that banks on operating surpluses and the sale of city assets.

Recently, though, Ford OK’d a plan to increase city debt to build the Scarborough subway extension.

Found over $600 million in permanent efficiency savings

Gee, I thought it was a billion dollars? What happened?

There are many ways to quibble with these figures. It’s important to note these kinds of efficiency savings are not new. Mayor David Miller’s final budget achieved $167 million in savings alone.

Balanced the operating budget, for the first time ever, without using any prior year surplus

Sure, but it’s worth noting that Ford has yet to balance a budget without using one-time revenues. This year, he used just under $70 million in reserve funds — which were funded at least partially through prior-year surplus money in previous budget years — to balance the budget.

Total reduction in City staff of 1,346 since 2011

I get slightly different numbers, but this appears to be accurate enough. The city offered staff buyouts in 2011.

New Surplus Management Strategy: Adopted new financial management strategies

This feels more like a statement than an accomplishment, but yes, the strategy does exist. But it was adopted in 2004.

New Collective Agreement with full and part-time workers

Yes, but again, this is the political equivalent of me bragging about putting my shoes on in the morning. Of course a new collective agreement was put in place — the old one expired. Ford is missing an opportunity to brag here.

Eliminated the 5-cent bag tax: Ensures that retailers have a choice in charging for plastic bags.

A couple of problems here. First, it was never a tax. It was a mandated fee. Second, Ford only managed to eliminate the fee after council made a surprise decision to ban plastic bags altogether but then were forced to back off after city lawyers got involved.

Focused public debate on building subways as Toronto’s long-term rapid transit strategy

True enough, I guess. We’ve had lots of debate about subways over the last three years. But even with Ford’s focus, the TTC and Metrolinx are still in the process of building three LRT lines. I’m not sure Ford’s got much to brag about.

Investing in the TTC: The 2013 budget included over $500 million in new TTC funding

This is a weird one. It’s a very specific claim, but it’s hard to know what it refers to.

It’s definitely not about increasing the TTC’s operating budget. In 2012, the TTC’s operating subsidy from the city was $411 million. It was exactly the same in 2013. So no increase there.

On the capital side, the 10-year capital plan in 2012 included $6.184 billion for the TTC. The 2013 plan boosted that to $6.392 billion. That’s an increase of $200 million, which you’ll note is significantly lower than $500 million.

Station Modernization Program: Existing station upgrades, including Pape and Dufferin stations

The TTC’s plan to modernize subway stations predates Ford’s term by several years. The program was first discussed in 2007. Funding for the project became available through the 2008 city capital budget and plan. Ford voted against that budget. (Page 14)

Signal System Replacement: Signal System replacement will improve subway system capacity and reliability

This, on the other hand, did happen during Ford’s term. The TTC authorized $90 million in expenditures for signal system replacement on March 30, 2012. However, it’s worth pointing out that this happened after Ford lost all influence over the TTC, so it’s fair to ask if he or his office had anything to do with the decision.

Resurfacing hundreds of kilometres of roads and filling around 200,000 potholes every year

Putting $500 million into maintaining the Gardiner Expressway- a key transportation artery

Putting money into maintaining and upgrading roads, bridges, sidewalks and expressways

We’ll take these three together. The 10-year capital plan approved in 2010 included $1.699 billion for state-of-good-repair projects relating to the city’s transportation department. In 2014, that figure jumped to $2.435 billion. Much of that increase is related to the Gardiner. But Ford can take credit for spending more money on road repair.

Upgrading decades old playground equipment and building new community facilities

This, on the other hand, is a harder claim to make. Just this past September, back when Ford still had procedural powers, he made a point of attending a meeting of the Parks & Environment committee just so he could vote against a series of motions. One of those motions asked staff to look at increasing the number of playground refurbishments.

Upgrading 26 Municipal Child Care Centres and constructing a new facility

Ford’s record on child care is disastrous. In 2012, he voted against a motion that would have increased the operating budget by $670,000 to restore child care centre programming. In 2013, he voted against a motion that would have increased availability of subsidized child care.

Recently, Ford voted against using Section 37 money to upgrade a child care facility in Ward 19.

Building new community centres in York and Regent Park

The Regent Park community centre is part of the ongoing Regent Park revitalization, a project that started more than a decade ago. The York Community Centre has been planned since the 1990s, with funding held in reserve since amalgamation. Construction on both facilities did begin while Ford was in office, though.

Upgrading and maintaining 16 homeless shelters and building a new facility

The only recently opened city-run facility I am aware of the Peter Street Homeless Shelter. In December 2007, Rob Ford moved to remove the development of that shelter from the 2008 capital budget (page 11) in an attempt to kill the project. It didn’t work.

Last year, Ford was one of 20 councillors who voted against looking at increasing the number of shelter beds available following a rash of homeless deaths. Council did eventually vote to increase the number of beds available. Ford was the only member of council to vote against it.

Investing $10 billion, over the next 10 years, to maintain aging infrastructure in a state of good repair

In 2010, the city was planning to spend $9.8 billion over the next 10 years on state-of-good-repair. In 2014, the plan is to spend $11.4 billion. Ford hasn’t invested $10 billion in new money, but planned spending has increased a bit.

Investing $2.5 billion over the next 10 years into water mains, sewers and other vital water infrastructure

This, on the other hand, i couldn’t verify. According to Toronto Water’s latest budget, capital spending on water infrastructure peaked in 2010 and has declined since.

Fighting Gridlock: Traffic Management Strategy to keep Toronto moving:

Created a plan of action to improve the flow of traffic at over 1000 intersections, across every corner of the city

Council did approve a congestion management plan in December 2013, so I’ll give him these ones.

Launched a comprehensive bicycle strategy

The mayor’s bike plan does include lots of off-street trail improvements, but I’m not sure I’d call it “comprehensive.” It proposes just four on-street routes. Three of them are upgrades to existing bike lanes. The only entirely new bike infrastructure included in the strategy called for lanes on Richmond or Adelaide Streets. But when a plan to study those lanes came before council in December 2011, Ford voted against it.

After a prolonged period of moving sideways, the unemployment rate in Toronto is very noticeably dropping

Nope. Latest report had Toronto’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate at 9.7 per cent, up from 9.2 per cent a year ago.

Collaborating for Competitiveness – Toronto’s Economic Development Plan

A plan with this title was written and voted on, yes.

Chicago Business Mission: Led the largest delegation of Toronto leaders on a business mission

Ford did indeed go to Chicago. There’s photographic proof. Nobody really keeps records on mayoral delegation sizes, but Ford seems to have a decent claim to saying his was the biggest. Miller took 40 people with him to Ukraine in 2005 and just 25 to Europe. Mel Lastman once took 50 people to Italy. Ford’s delegation had 62 people in it.

So, yes, the mayor did go to Chicago with a lot of people. That’s an accomplishment I’ll give him.

Recap of Ford Nation Episode 1

8:00: And we’re live! Except not really, because it’s taped. Sun News plays a montage sequence explaining how our hero got to this point—returning phone calls and hating the fact that garbage was in parks. What a guy!

8:03: The show suddenly shifts to the whole crack thing, with old clips of the mayor calling the media pathological liars. The people of Toronto will accept your apology any time, your worship.

8:05: Rob assures us he’s changing his behaviour, and he’s working with professionals, although he won’t say who. To date, he really hasn’t outlined how his habits will change—other than that he’s working out in the gym two hours a day. (Which I believe is also a lie.)

8:07: Rob repeats his lie that he has saved taxpayers a billion dollars. He absolutely, definitively has not. The latest article to debunk this claim is in the Toronto Star, and it’s the most thorough yet.

8:11: Rob says he’s not perfect, but the only thing he’s perfect at is saving taxpayer’s money. Really, he said that.

8:14: A self-described member of Ford Nation asks Rob how he will put these issues behind him. Rob says, “The past is the past; it is what it is.” Apparently, he is borrowing phrases from the former catcher of the New York Yankees.

8:15: Rob claims he hasn’t had a drop of alcohol in three weeks. However, he was spotted at the LCBO a couple of days ago. He also claims that he has never missed a day of council, which is likewise false.

8:24: The Fords have their first guest on the show, and it’s their Toronto Sun stenographer Joe Warmington. The Scrawler says, “It’s not an interview—we’re just chatting.” Journalism!

Ford says that he has saved more money than any mayor in Toronto’s history, that he has built subways, and that council is spending $500,000 on an environmental assessment on Bloor. Pop quiz! Which of those comments are false?

A) Saved more money
B) Built subways
C) $500,000 for Bloor bike lanes
D) They’re all false

Ding ding ding! If you answered D you get a cookie.

8:27: Doug Ford, hater of constitutional rights, says there should be drug and alcohol testing across the country for governmental officials. What a libertarian.

8:29: Rob is whining about the cost of Project Brazen 2, because clearly that’s the issue here. Pro tip to the cost-conscious mayor: if you don’t have a laundry list of vices, the cops won’t spend millions investigating you.

8:33: We are promised that up next, measured and sensible journalist Ezra Levant will “hit back at the haters.” Earlier, the term “journalistic jihad” was used—because that’s obviously what asking the mayor about his alleged criminal connections and habits is.

8:38: Ezra has only been on air for one minute, and has already mentioned Jack Layton being in a massage parlor that he refers to as a “whorehouse.” His diatribe is one long false equivalency that tries to cast Ford as a victim because he’s a conservative.

8:39: Ezra claims Rob gets criticized because he is fat, doesn’t drive a Prius, and is not a hipster. Is Ezra a real person, or is he some kind of algorithm that scrapes the worst internet comments?

8:42: Ezra: “I’d take [Ford} on crack over his predecessor sober.”

8:44: Ezra repeats the false claim that Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale took pictures of Rob Ford’s backyard, and Rob seems to say it was in his backyard. This is patently false.

8:46: Ezra compares Rob to Princess Diana, presumably because Rob is the people’s princess. Levant goes on to say that Ford, who bowled over diminutive councillor Pam McConnell today, is being bullied.

8:47: Rob claims he was fired from his beloved high school football coaching gig because of “political reasons.” If by “political” he means that “My brother and I kept on saying how these kids would be in the gutter if it wasn’t because I’m such a saviour, and they can’t help themselves,” then that’s accurate.

8:53: Sun News plays the Jon Stewart clip of Rob Ford saying how much he likes to eat cats. He and Doug snicker along as they watch in the split screen.

8:55: Rob and Doug says that the people should decide in an election on October 27. Of course, today Doug Ford put forward a motion to call on the province to have a snap election. So, let’s just have an election whenever is convenient for the Fords.

8:56: Doug says “God bless Ford Nation,” and the show is over.

Funny how Rob Ford and his brother Doug managed to make a whole TV show about themselves and skip the fact that they are wife-beating, drug-using, drunk drivers that belong in prison and certainly don't belong in city hall.

Rob Ford Video Jokes, Crack Jokes and More

In the video below is a selection of American comedians making fun of Rob Ford.

Toronto Police have Rob Ford's crack video

Toronto Police have Rob Ford's crack video. Watch video further below.

Plus Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair unveils that Rob Ford has also been caught doing numerous illegal activities involving drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and other activities.

Guilty plea in killing of man linked to Rob Ford scandal

Right: A court sketch shows Nisar Hashimi, who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of Anthony Smith.

The killer of a man seen in a widely publicized photo tied to the Toronto Mayor Rob Ford crack cocaine video scandal has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter for the slaying.

The plea deal comes just over 2½ months after admitted killer Nisar Hashimi turned himself in to police in connection with the shooting death of Anthony Smith outside a Toronto nightclub in March. It also means evidence surrounding the crack video controversy won't have to be presented in open court.

Please send tips on this story to john.lancaster@cbc.ca and nazim.baksh@cbc.ca.

Instead, Hashimi has agreed to a sentence of nine years in prison. In exchange, the Crown will not have to present disclosure to the defence, and the police evidence in his case — including wiretaps, surveillance, and any seized cellphones, laptops or videos — won’t be presented in open court.

Toronto criminal defence lawyer Edward Sapiano, who is not involved in the case, called the plea deal "unprecedented."

"In 20 years of practice I have never seen a guilty plea on a homicide without disclosure," said Sapiano. "And in less than three months! There is absolutely something going on here."

"The questions over Rob Ford's possible involvement [with alleged drug dealers] will remain unanswered as a result," he said.

Smith's killing, and Ford's possible ties to drug dealers in the Dixon Road area, became the subject of intense questioning of Toronto police Chief Bill Blair earlier this month. Blair was pressed on whether Ford had been implicated in drug use, or caught on video, as the police chief detailed the arrests tied to a police crackdown on the gang, the Dixon City Bloods.

"I cannot disclose to you any of the evidence that we have seized in this case. It'll come out in court," Blair told a throng of reporters. "We have gathered evidence pertaining to murders and to attempted murders, and that forms part of the prosecution we are bringing forward. But the evidence as it relates to those offences must come out in court and not at a press conference."

But the plea deal for Hashimi means none of the evidence in what was the most serious criminal charge from Project Traveller — first-degree murder — will ever be revealed in court.

The shooting of Smith might otherwise have passed with little notice by mainstream media had a now-infamous photo not surfaced, showing Smith alongside Ford. The photo was first published in the Toronto Star and on the U.S. website Gawker, in separate reports that drug dealers were trying to sell a video of Toronto's mayor smoking crack cocaine. The two outlets were provided with the photo as evidence Ford was hanging out with drug dealers.

CBC News has not seen the video and cannot verify its contents or existence.

'I cannot disclose to you any of the evidence that we have seized in this case. It’ll come out in court.'—Toronto police Chief Bill Blair

Smith has never been publicly identified by police as a drug dealer, but today in court the Crown revealed police believe Smith and his associates were members for the Dixon City Bloods and that Smith was taking instructions from the gang.

Smith's friends Muhammad Khattak and Monir Kassimm, who were also pictured in the photograph posing with Ford, were arrested earlier this month in a series of raids cracking down on the Dixon Bloods, who according to police were trafficking millions of dollars worth of guns, cocaine, hashish and crystal meth from the U.S., through Windsor to Toronto.

In an agreed statement of facts, Hashimi admitted that he and an associate were in a dispute with Smith and his gang, and that the shooting outside the nightclub erupted as part of an escalating war.

Crown prosecutor Mary Misener read out the statement, saying that it was Smith who, acting on a text message of coded instructions from a member of his gang, initiated a fight with Hashimi and his associates.

Hashimi admits to pulling out a handgun and firing multiple shots in short succession, and then fleeing by car. The prosecutor said the Crown accepts that Hashimi did not intend to kill Smith or injure one of his associates (Khattak), but that the killing happened in the heat of a fight with Hashimi’s “capacity” diminished by drugs and alcohol mixed with cough syrup.

The prosecutor told the court that Toronto police completed a competent investigation and that based on a review of the evidence, a manslaughter conviction "properly" addressed Hashimi's legal culpability.

"We are well aware of the tragic consequences of gun violence in public places in our community and of our duty to vigorously prosecute the perpetrators of these gravely dangerous crimes," Misener told the court.

"Mindful of duty, we have determined that acceptance of Mr. Hashimi's pleas to manslaughter in the death of Anthony Smith and aggravated assault in the injuring of Mohammaed Khattak properly and justly reflects the extent of Mr. Hashimi's legal culpability on the evidence in this case."

Hashimi's co-accused, Hanad Mohamed, was arrested in Fort McMurray, Alta., in May. He has been charged with the murder of Smith and the attempted murder of Khattak. Mohamed's case is still before the courts.
Media seek to unseal police evidence

Meanwhile, CBC News and other media organizations are bringing court applications in Toronto asking a judge to unseal various search warrants and police documents tied to the ongoing drug investigations, so that the public can know whether Toronto's mayor is in any way implicated in illegal activity.

Ford insists he does not use crack cocaine and has denied allegations he has been captured on video smoking a crack pipe — an alleged video which has yet to surface publicly.

Murdered man had possession of crack video

Murdered man had possession of crack video of Rob Ford.

Anthony Smith had the crack video of Rob Ford, but has now turned up dead. (Update November 2013: Tape now in possession of Toronto police.)

Contribute to Buying Rob Ford's Crack Cocaine Video

Help pitch in some cash to buy Rob Ford's Crack Cocaine Video by visiting the following website:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rob-ford-crackstarter

Rob Ford doesn't deny smoking crack cocaine

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been caught on video smoking crack cocaine and is not denying that the events in the video happened.

Instead he is calling them "ridiculous", but his actions ridiculous or not, he is not disputing the existence of the video showing him smoking crack cocaine and the comments he made during the video.

His comments during the video include:

#1. Calling Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau "a fag".

#2.When asked about a football team and he mumbles “they are just f---ing minorities.”

#3. Complains about the Don Bosco high school football team.

“I’m f---ing right-wing,” Ford appears to mutter at one point. “Everyone expects me to be right-wing. I’m just supposed to be this great.…” and his voice trails off.

During the video Rob Ford is sitting down, his shirt open, smoking from a crack pipe.

The video ends with the ringing of a cellphone (it is not clear if it is the cellphone that is being used to video the scene). The ring tone, which is a song, startles the mayor, whose slitted eyes open a bit, and he is heard to say, “That phone better not be on.”

The makers of the video, a group of Somali drug dealers who sold Rob Ford the crack cocaine, are attempting to sell ownership of the video to the highest bidder and are looking for at least 6 figures.

One of the owners of the video was killed in a shooting in downtown Toronto two weeks ago. He is shown in the photo up above, on the left, with his arm on Mayor Rob Ford's shoulder.

Lobbyists in Toronto’s city hall under Rob Ford

Since Mayor Rob Ford took office and declared the city “open for business” lobbying activity at city hall has exploded.

Three times more lobbyists signed up with the city in 2012 as in 2010. The number of subjects they’re pushing has doubled. Allegations of misconduct have tripled. And the daily communications logged between lobbyists and public office holders appears to be 10 times higher last year than the year before Ford took office.

And with the numbers on the rise, lobbyist registrar Linda Gehrke worries there is dwindling awareness around the “ethical” guidelines set out in the code of conduct.

But for many councilors, the most worrisome result of the new reality is that average citizens and community associations — people without the means to hire Bay Street professionals to plead their case — are being shut out.

“Unless you can hire a lobbyist, you can’t get a vote through the mayor’s office,” said left-wing councilor Adam Vaughan, a staunch opponent of the mayor’s.

It used to just be “the big money items. Now it’s every item. Two lobbyists were just working the floor of council on whether to widen a sidewalk,” he said referring to the recent debate over valet parking at Pusateri’s.

This year, even the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association felt they couldn’t go it alone during budget negotiations.

For the second year in a row, Toronto Fire was being targeted for cuts. The service stood to permanently lose 101 currently vacant jobs, five trucks and a station, at a time when the union was begging for more resources to deal with a booming population.

President Ed Kennedy tried to plead his case to the decision makers, but he couldn’t get meetings with a sizable chunk of councilors, particularly on the right and those recently elected.

“And we didn’t seem to have the ear of the mayor’s office like we wish we would have. Like we had before,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy then called Sussex Strategy Group, the most prominent, powerful and sought-after lobbyist firm working city hall. The mayor backed down on the cuts.

Rob Ford’s opponents, such as Vaughan, like to accuse the mayor’s office of having closer ties with lobbyists than any of his predecessors.

Toronto only began tracking lobbyist activity in February 2008, but the data does suggest the mayor has a more open attitude towards the practice than the previous mayor, David Miller. Miller was strongly opposed to bribes and pandering, but Rob Ford openly embraces backscratching and backroom deals.

According to records obtained through the city’s Open Data website, the mayor’s deputy chief of staff Earl Provost and Ford rank fourth and fifth on the list of most-lobbied public office holders in Toronto. In 2010, no one on Mayor David Miller staff appeared in the top 20.

“Mayor Ford believes in customer service excellence and no other mayor has ever been as open and available to everyday taxpayers, residents and business leaders. This data simply confirms this,” Ford’s spokesperson said in a statement.

When the online registry went live in 2008, 237 lobbyists signed up. The number fell to 98 in next year and stayed about the same for 2010, with 103 new registrations. In 2011 — the new council was sworn in in December 2010 — new lobbyist registrations jumped to 207. By 2012, a total of 343 new lobbyists registered. Just two and a half months into 2013, already 169 new registrations have been logged.

The statistics around actual lobbying are even more staggering

One note of caution: the following figures can only be used to assess a general trend, because 29% of the time, the year of the meeting was not recorded. Even taking this into account, the increase in communications — such as a meeting, email or telephone call — appears to have skyrocketed since the Ford took office. In 2010, the database showed lobbyists recording 587 communications. By 2012, that number hit 5545.

Allegations of misconduct are also on the rise.

In 2010, the registrar launched 10 investigations. In 2011, that number spiked to 46. In 2012, Registrar Linda Gehrke looked into 30 cases. The majority of instances relate to unregistered lobbying, lobbying around procurements and to a lesser extent, ethical issues.

“And I think we are getting to the point where people know generally about registration, but there may not be as much awareness of the requirements of the code of conduct,” she said.

Gehrke has launched an investigation into the events of Oct. 16, when Councillor Ana Bailao was charged with impaired driving. Before her arrest Bailao was drinking at a posh downtown lounge with a small group, which included Sussex lobbyist Jamie Besner, Ford’s former chief of staff Nick Kouvalis — who does market research for Sussex — and Councillor Mark Grimes.

The optics weren’t good. Sussex is working for MGM casinos. Bailao is considered an important swing vote. And Grimes chairs the board for Exhibition Place, the preferred casino site.

Gehrke is not permitted to speak about her investigations or even confirm if they are occurring. Both Bailao and Besner say no city business was discussed, but some councilors say it’s the type of socializing that got the city in trouble more than a decade ago.

Shortly after amalgamation, the city signed a $43-million contract with MFP Financial Services for computer equipment. An inquiry was called after the contract nearly doubled without authorization from council.

Evidence emerged that city officials had been lavishly wined and dined by an MFP salesman; Madam Justice Denise Bellamy’s final report suggested that “inappropriately close relationships” between public officers and lobbyists were partly to blame. Establishing a lobbyist registry was a key recommendation of her report.

For Councillor Janet Davis, who on Thursday returned to her desk to find a gift bag from The Capital Hill Group on her desk, the status quo is not an option.

The bag contained a large sugar cookie with icing, and a card celebrating her “contribution to politics” on International Women’s Day. “It is completely unacceptable,” she said. “I know it’s not worth very much. It’s a cookie. But it’s still an attempt to influence councilors.”

Davis has lodged a complaint with Gehrke’s office.

Rob Ford GUILTY, Booted from City Hall

 

Mayor Rob Ford kicked from office, found guilty of conflict of interest 

JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY HAS SPOKEN TODAY.

In a bombshell ruling, a judge has found Mayor Rob Ford guilty of breaching provincial of conflict of interest law and ordered him removed from office, but put that ruling on hold for 14 days. It is a great day for democracy and the rule of law in Toronto.

That apparently means Ford remains in office while his lawyer launches an appeal and asks Divisional Court to put an indefinite stay on the removal order pending the outcome of that appeal. But the appeal will likely be turned down as Rob Ford is "cut and dried guilty" of misusing his public office for personal advantages - something he has done more than once.

It also gives Toronto City Council a little time to figure out how to deal with the prospect – unprecedented, in modern times – of a mayor being removed from office by the courts.

If Ford’s lawyers cannot convince Divisional Court to stay the removal order within 14 days, council will have the option of either appointing a councillor to be caretaker mayor until the end of the term in December 2014 or triggering a mayoral byelection.

Ontario Court Justice Charles Hackland’s decision appears to disqualify Ford from running in a byelection before the end of the current term, but does not say he can’t run in future civic elections in the province of Ontario.

In finding the mayor to have violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, Hackland had the option of banning Ford from running for up to seven years. But that option was not exercised.

The hotly awaited decision followed a two-day hearing in early September that saw Ford grilled over his conduct at a Feb. 7 council meeting and the events that led up to it.

The city’s integrity commissioner ruled in 2010 that then-councillor Ford was wrong to use official letterhead and other city resources to solicit donations from people lobbying him for his namesake football foundation.

Council agreed and ordered Ford to repay $3,150 to lobbyists, their clients and one private firm. Ford ignored six reminders from the integrity commissioner before she brought the issue back to council Feb. 7.

There, Ford made an impassioned speech about why he shouldn’t be forced to repay the money, arguing it was spent distributing football equipment to schools. He voted to cancel the order that he repay.

In March, Toronto resident Paul Magder alleged Ford broke a provision in the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act which states elected officials can’t speak to, or vote upon, items in which they have a “pecuniary interest.” Which means Ford should not have voted in that particular vote and should not have even been allowed to speak during the debate.

At the hearing before Hackland, Magder’s lawyer Clayton Ruby argued Ford was “reckless” and “wilfully ignorant” of the law when he did not recuse himself from the debate and vote.

Ford, who was on council for a decade before becoming mayor in late 2010, claims that he never read the Conflict of Interest Act or the councillor orientation handbook. Nor did he attend councillor training sessions that covered conflicts of interest.

The mayor promised in his oath of office to “disclose conflicts of interest” but, when asked by Ruby if he understood the words, Ford said: “No. My interpretation of a conflict of interest, again, is it takes two parties and the city must benefit or a member of council must benefit.”

Ruby accused Ford of “wilful blindness.”

“As mayor he ought to have had a clear understanding of his obligations. This entire pattern of conduct shows that he chose to remain ignorant, and substituted his own view for that of the law,” Ruby said.

Ford, longtime coach of Etobicoke’s Don Bosco Eagles, vehemently disagreed, saying he acted only in the best interests of his high school students and for the benefit of his football team. (Which by itself, favouritism, is a conflict of interest.)

Ford’s lawyer, Alan Lenczner, offered a three-pronged defence.

He pointed out that city council had no legislative authority to make Ford repay $3,150 in football charity donations in the first place. That means Ford was guilty of misusing his office in the first place. (Which is not the wisest move for a defense lawyer to make, because it implicates Rob Ford in more wrongdoing.)

Second, that if council did impose a penalty it was under Toronto’s code of conduct, not the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, so Ford could not have breached the act. If the Act applied, elected officials could not defend themselves when criticized by the integrity commissioner, he added. However Provincial and Municipal Acts still effect actions taken within city councils, so this point was in error.

Finally, that if Ford did err by not declaring a conflict, it was an inadvertent “error in judgment.” Implying that Rob Ford did so out of stupidity and rather than out of greedy manipulation.

Justice Charles Hackland saw these three things as a very flimsy defence (like any sane person would) and found Rob Ford guilty of conflict of interest, thus forcing him to vacate his role as Mayor of Toronto.

SO LONG AND GOOD RIDDANCE!

Rob Ford's conflict of interest trial

Tomorrow...

On Wednesday, Mayor Rob Ford will be in court to explain why he participated in a council debate about whether he should return $3,150 in improperly raised donations.

The case was initiated by Toronto resident Paul Magder, whose lawyer argues Ford should have taken no role in discussing a report from the city’s integrity commissioner that concluded he had improperly used his city council status to solicit funds for his football foundation.

Commissioner Janet Leiper took the matter to council after Ford ignored six requests from her for proof that he had repaid the money, as ordered, to the donors — several lobbyists, their clients and a business.

Despite a warning from the council speaker that he might be in a position of conflict of interest, Ford made a speech and took part in the 22-12 council vote that relieved him of any obligation to return the funds.

(Routinely, councillors declare conflicts on agenda items that may affect their own or their family’s financial interests, and absent themselves from speaking or voting on the item in question.)

The stakes are high. If found to have contravened conflict of interest rules by voting on the item, Ford could be forced from office. Alternatively, he might keep his job if the court found a contravention occurred by reason of “inadvertence” or error in judgment.

Rob Ford's subway plan loses council support due to his bullying

CANADA - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is up against the ropes and has only himself to blame for Toronto city councilors openly revolting against his greedy subway plan.

Toronto Transit Commission chair Karen Stintz and a majority of council members have signed a petition demanding a special meeting on Wednesday to reverse Ford’s subway plan.

Councilors are doing this for four reasons.

#1. Ford’s vision for the future proposes costly subways where they aren’t needed (rich parts of suburbia where most people drive anyway). Plus canceling an already approved network of fully funded light rail lines in a region that desperately needs it.

#2. Rob Ford's bullying and rowdy behaviour has councilors upset. After a year of enduring Rob Ford's abrasive governing style councilors are finally rebelling against his threats, taunts and refusals to compromise.

#3. Because Rob Ford's subway plan proposes giving billions of $$$ to his brother Doug Ford, who would be in charge of the new subway expansion... can we say NEPOTISM?

#4. Because Toronto City Council is a democracy, not the Kingdom of Rob Ford.

You see normally mayors would build coalitions and make deals to win the support of councilors so that their efforts go through... basically forcing councilors to break their promises just so they can keep different promises.

The problem is that Rob Ford doesn't keep his own promises when he makes deals with councilors. He makes a deal, gets the vote through, and then breaks off the deal before he has kept his end of the bargain. He then forms a new deal with different councilors and repeats the process.

After a year of doing this again and again Rob Ford has run out of councilors who trust him on his word. They want him to uphold promises he made and has already broken. And its apparently too late for him to go back and try and make good on his broken promises.

So its really no surprise all the city councilors he has pissed off has realized hey, lets give the axe to Rob Ford's big nepotism scheme that would see billions of dollars being funneled through his brother. Sure, we do want more subway lines, but we want them in poor neighbourhoods where they are most needed.

Now lets contrast this former mayors David Miller and Mel Lastman.

They almost NEVER lost a vote. They almost always found a way to get council support and get things done because they kept their promises and their compromises. They did lose the rare vote, but it was exceptionally rare.

Rob Ford, only a year in office, has lost control of the budget, has a city council with a majority revolt and is now facing a reversal of his transit agenda.

Between his bullying and promise breaking it is really no surprise. Even the moderates and hard line right-wingers (the backbone of Rob Ford's support) in council are turning against him.

In unrelated news Rob Ford recently lost 20 lbs during his "Cut the Waist" challenge. If he was really serious about cutting waste he would start keeping his promises and treating councilors with RESPECT.

Ford wants to fire TTC Chief

Gary Webster, the TTC’s top executive, is caught in the crosshairs of Mayor Rob Ford’s administration, prompting fears that the TTC could be headed on a disastrous course if he’s fired.

A 30-year TTC veteran, the 60-year-old chief general manager has drawn the ire of the Fords over his refusal to support the Sheppard subway extension the mayor wants to build, say sources.

Webster could not be reached for comment, but TTC spokesman Brad Ross issued a statement Thursday saying, “The TTC will not speculate on Mr. Webster’s future. The chief general manager is working hard with staff on the 2012 budget, as well as ongoing customer service improvement initiatives. This is a large, complex organization. His continued leadership has never been more important.”

Transit experts, including former TTC boss David Gunn, consider Ford's subway plan a joke because there's no clue where Ford will get the money from.

The Ford Brothers (Rob and Doug) are so intent on Webster’s removal, sources say, they won’t let him hire a new chief operating officer — an internationally advertised position that is attracting top applicants from London and Sydney, Australia.

TTC chair Karen Stintz has expressed frustration about the slow speed at which improvements in customer service are taking place. But she has so far refused to be part of a plan to oust Webster, drawing speculation that her own time on the commission could be limited, according to some sources.

Sources say Stintz won’t even talk about Webster leaving unless the Fords come up with an orderly transition plan that doesn’t include appointing one of their political cronies to the top job. (Nepotism in the Ford camp runs deep.)

The plan to get rid of Webster “is in play now,” said former TTC vice-chair Joe Mihevc.

“(The Fords) are so committed to Sheppard they are actively contemplating getting rid of the entire streetcar system in Toronto,” he said, adding that the cost of the new streetcars could be applied to the subway.

“If Doug Ford bullies his way through on this, it truly will be the victory of extreme authoritarian ideology over good public transit policy and good business management,” Mihevc said.

Replacing Webster with someone who has no engineering background or transit operations experience would be a disaster, say some councillors and transit experts.

Rob Ford's history of bad conduct

Rob Ford gives mother and daughter the finger

Mayor Rob Ford is denying allegations that he gave the finger to a mother who told him to stop talking on his cellphone while driving. (An act which is illegal in Ontario and he should be arrested for it to set an example.)

“There has been a story published that while I was on the phone I made a rude gesture to a fellow driver. This is not accurate and it’s unfortunate this misunderstanding occurred,” Rob Ford says on his Facebook page. He doesn't deny driving while talking on his cellphone and he doesn't deny giving the finger... so apparently the finger was meant for someone else???

Ford’s press secretary, Adrienne Batra, says that the mayor admits to talking on his cellphone while driving, but did not give the other driver the finger.

When asked by a reporter “what happened with flipping the bird” Ford laughed and then refused to comment further.

Ottilie Mason, the woman who was given the finger, was unimpressed with Rob Ford's Facebook retort. “That doesn’t make any sense at all,” she says. “I misunderstand that I gave her the finger? It’s a very political, non-committal response.”

Mason says that, to be perfectly accurate, he hung up the phone, then gave her the finger.

It was apparently pretty obvious he was giving her the finger. Nothing to be misunderstood at all.

Mason, her 6-year-old daughter and her daughter’s babysitter were idling next to Ford at the intersection at Dundas and Spadina when she spotted the mayor talking on his cellphone behind the wheel.

She and her daughter gave him a thumbs-down, and she rolled down her window and told him to stop talking on the phone.

He responded by getting off the phone and then looking straight at her while giving her the finger.

According to Toronto Police Traffic Services they are unsure if police would pursue charges on the issue of driving while using a cellphone, but confirmed that Mark Pugash, director of corporate communications for the police, has been in contact with the mayor’s office about the incident.

And we all know Rob Ford is a liar and a drug addict, so him lying to the police is nothing new.

Rob Ford took donations, had dinner with businessman linked to corruption probe

Adrian Morrow
Globe and Mail Update
Published Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2011 11:55AM EDT

Mayor Rob Ford received $2,000 worth in campaign donations and held a meeting with a controversial former bar owner turned business consultant who was once accused of paying police officers for help obtaining a liquor license and reprimanded by a judge who said he misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars from an aboriginal group at the SARSstock concert.

In early February, Mr. Ford lunched with Johnathan Vrozos, who had earlier donated two tranches of $1,000 each to Mr. Ford's campaign, $500 less than the maximum amount.

In a brief scrum at city hall Wednesday morning, Mr. Ford said Mr. Vrozos won the lunch at a fundraising golf tournament.

“We fund-raised money for my campaign, so if someone bids on it I don’t check their background, and I went out to lunch like I had to commit to. And that’s it,” he said.

Full copy at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/subscribe.jsp?art=1963251

Debra Mewdell comments on Rob Ford's Bike Plan

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Rob Ford's nepotism knows no bounds

The new mayor of Toronto has only been on the job since November, boosted to his position on the promise of putting a stop to "the gravy train" in Toronto's City Hall.

Except apparently this was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Since becoming the mayor Rob Ford has been giving one job posting after another to his closest friends, giving all his friends raises in salaries, and to top it all off... the gravy train seems to have gotten bigger and faster.

Former North York councillor Gordon Chong is the latest friend of Mayor Rob Ford to be appointed to a high paying public job — this time working with the TTC - gaining a salary of $100,000 / year plus perks.

A month ago former councillor Case Ootes was named head of Toronto Community Housing Corporation, with another big fat salary and perks.

Both of these people are also SIMULTANEOUSLY collecting pensions for their previous work as councillors. (Pensions stack BTW.)

On top of that Rob Ford has given a major TTC infrastructure building contract worth billions (the most expensive project in Toronto history at $4.2 billion) to a company which, surprise surprise, is run by 2 directors:

Rob Ford's friend and Councillor Norm Kelly (Ward 40, Scarborough-Agincourt) and Councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), Rob Ford's brother.

The appointments and billion dollar contracts have led many City Hall councillors to accuse the mayor of sole-sourcing senior government jobs to his friends and relatives.

The TTC has given the job of heading one of the most important projects facing the city to someone who didn’t even go through a job search, says Councillor Joe Mihevc.

The $4.2 billion being given to Rob Ford's brother is more than "all the accumulated debt of (former Mayor) Mel Lastman, plus all the accumulated debt of (former mayor) David Miller … This has to be one of the two or three biggest decisions that will face the commission and face council in the next three or four months,” says Councillor Joe Mihevc.

Note: Nepotism is a crime because it constitutes fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

In comparison however Rob Ford's gravy train is not illegal, but it should open the eyes of the idiots who voted for him just so they could get rid of the vehicle registration tax (the only good thing Rob Ford has done so far).