Magder agrees to stay order to remove Ford from office

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Today Clayton Ruby, on behalf of his client Paul Magder, consented to a stay of the order to remove Rob Ford from office pending the outcome of Mr. Ford's appeal. Mr. Ford had requested the stay following Justice Charles Hackland's November 26 decision that found Mr. Ford had been willfully blind when he breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and ordered Mr. Ford removed from office.

"By breaking the law in such a flagrant manner, Rob Ford has put this city into unnecessary turmoil," said Mr. Ruby. "We are agreeing to this stay to give the city of Toronto a measure of stability, something that has been wholly absent during Mr. Ford's term in office. Our opposition to Mr. Ford's appeal, however, will proceed."

Although Mr. Magder has consented to the stay, he said he finds the way Mr. Ford and his proxies have impugned the reputation of the legal system to be outrageous.

"I brought this application to protect Toronto's municipal government from politicians putting their own interests ahead of the citizens they were elected to serve," said Mr. Magder. "One of Ontario's most respected judges considered in great detail the arguments made on my behalf and that of Mr. Ford before issuing his thoroughly reasoned decision. For Mr. Ford to pretend he is the victim of a "left-wing" political attack is to insult the justice system that is a cornerstone of Canada's strong and enduring democracy."

SOURCE: Clayton Ruby

Cheryl McKinnon
416-964-9664