Was Ford’s ruling too harsh?
A judge ordered the ousting of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on Monday, after finding him guilty of violating the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. But, was this punishment too drastic?
The Canadian Press reports a violation of the act must result in a politician losing his or her seat in power, leaving few exceptions where the judge can adjust the penalty. The City of Toronto has 14 days to address and deal with the ruling, as per the judge’s provision.
Even the judge who sentenced Ford, Justice Hackland, found the law to be harsh.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty spoke about possibly adapting the law behind Ford’s ruling, and told the Canadian Press, “That’s something for the appropriate ministry to take a look at if they think that might be of some value, but there’s nothing that strikes me as being of an emergency nature here.”
“I gather it’s an act we inherited so I can’t speak to the ideas and policies that ultimately inform that legislation,” said McGuinty.
Should the legislation be changed?
Ford has 30 days to appeal
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has 30 days to appeal the court ruling which has ordered him out of office, which he vows to fight “tooth and nail.”
According to CityNews, the mayor said he would run for re-election if his appeal is unsuccessful in the courts.
Ford was found guilty of violating the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, for being present for a council vote about repaying $3,150 in donations originally allocated for his private football charity.
As for the mayor’s next move, the high school football team he coaches, the Don Bosco Eagles, will play their championship game on Tuesday.
His next public appearance is also up in the air, as it remains unknown if Ford will show at the Toronto Argonauts championship parade. Ford was originally on the roster to declare Nov. 27 Toronto Argonauts Day following the team’s CFL win, but his direct mention has since been replaced by the City of Toronto.
Lady Gaga stands up for Lindsay
Liz and Dick may have been phenomenally ‘bad TV’ to some, but to Lady Gaga, it was “beautiful.”
Amidst a fury of sarcastic and harsh reviews about the TV movie, the Alejandro singer stuck up for her friend Lindsay Lohan, tweeting, “@lindsaylohan you did a beautiful job on Liz & Dick, Let no one bring u down, Liz didn’t, they always try to knock the greats down a few pegs.”
The Huffington Post writes other celebs, including Joan Rivers, were less than kind about Lohan’s performance in the film, but the Mean Girls star chose to mostly focus on the positive.
Lohan replied to Gaga’s kind words , tweeting, “Thank you so much, you are such an incredible force and that means the world to me. Love and hugs hope to see you soon bella.”
How sweet.
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Joanna Adams writes about news and entertainment for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at†@nowstarringTO.
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