Rob Ford's Mayoralty

Rob Ford served as mayor of Toronto from December 1, 2010, to November 30, 2014. In May 2013, the Toronto Star and Gawker reported having viewed a cellphone video appearing to show Ford smoking crack cocaine; Ford denied drug use at a press conference. On October 31, 2013, Toronto Police confirmed they had obtained a copy of the video as part of an unrelated investigation. On November 5, 2013, Ford publicly admitted he had smoked crack cocaine, saying it happened "about a year ago."

Council strips his powers

Ford refused calls to resign. On November 18, 2013, City Council voted 36–5 to strip Ford of most mayoral powers — removing him as chair of the executive committee, cutting his office budget, and eliminating his automatic committee memberships — while he remained the formally elected mayor, unable to be removed from office by council alone under Ontario law.

Diagnosis and death

Ford ran for re-election in 2014 but withdrew his campaign in September 2014 after being diagnosed with a malignant liposarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. His brother Doug Ford ran for mayor in his place and lost to John Tory; Rob Ford instead won election as a city councillor, the seat he had held before becoming mayor. He died on March 22, 2016, at age 46. Assessments of his mayoralty remain genuinely divided among historians and political scientists: supporters credited him with cutting municipal spending and channelling suburban discontent, while critics point to years of transit-planning disruption and reputational damage from the scandal.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Rob Ford
• CBC News — Rob Ford Stripped of Key Powers in Council Vote