The Incomprehension of Rob Ford by the Justice Charles Hackland

Tuesday's loss of the Metro Bowl by his beloved Don Bosco Eagles probably did nothing to help Mayor Rob Ford's mood. In a week when where he was basically fired, and as consequence lost in a legal fog of what happens in the meantime between appeals, stays, by-elections, appointments and other jargon, the man could have used a reason to perk up. But sadly, like a full term for his mayoralty, it was not meant to be.

Nothing Changes, Everything Stays the Same

They seemed to happen under the radar, and given the results that may make perfect sense now, but with three by-elections come and gone in Calgary-Centre, Durham and Victoria, the make-up of Parliament remains exactly the same.

Ford Removed From Office

It seems it was the worst case scenario for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford as a court has decided that he was guilty of conflict of interest charges, and, as consequence, will be removed from office.

"I find that the respondent has failed in his burden to show that his contraventions of the MCIA were the result of a good faith error in judgment," Ontario Superior Court Judge Charles Hackland wrote in his decision. As a result, Ford will step down as Mayor of Toronto in 14 days, "recognizing that this decision will necessitate administrative changes in the City of Toronto."

The Perfect Football Storm

I don't usually wander into the area of sports, not just on Politico but in any aspect of writing life, but it's been too interesting this week watching the hype around the 100th Grey Cup celebrations.

Now typically in these sports situations, the fans deride the people hoping on the bandwagon, but in the case of the CFL, particularly the Toronto Argos, the more is indeed the merrier. In the busy professional sports arena that is the city of Toronto, the Argos often take a back seat to the Blue Jays, the Leafs, the Raptors, and even the Toronto FC. For Argos fans that's adding insult to injury because not only has their team made it to the playoffs in the last decade, they've also won a championship in the last 10 years too.

Friday, Bloody Friday

Traditionally, the term "Black Friday" means the point in the year that U.S. retailers start making profit, as in they go from being in the red, into the black. While I suppose technically that's what Black Friday still means, for thousands who work in the retail sector it means dealing with the type of scene one usually needs police or military training to handle. That's part of the reason why thousands of Wal-Mart workers across America are held a walkout in their stores today, thus avoiding all potential stampedes, shootings, and chemical attacks that now seem to accompany, what should be, a pleasant day of shopping.

Concerns were already being raised in the midst of the madness last year, not just because of the escalating violence, which will undoubtedly see some Best Buy in Toledo get nuked in 2015 as people riot over $100 X-Boxes, but because of the instance of these stores having to open at 5, 4, even 3 am on what's supposed to be a holiday weekend. The trend has gotten even worse this year, with stores opening at midnight, meaning employees have to report to work on what's supposed to be a national holiday.

Now one can certainly make an argument that people who work in retail choose that life, and thus they lose the right to complain, but working at a big box store isn't the same as, say, joining the army. And no one as a kid says that they want to be a greeter, or move skids around in a stock room, when they grow up. But even if they did, are they not entitled to the same time off? Even Scrooge gave Cratchet the day off and that's before the ghosts fixed him.

Press Release Details the Budget Fine Line

It's crunch time for the 2013 budget deliberations, but there's still a lot of debating to be done. The city sent a press release updating the situation today.

You can read the press release for yourself, after the jump:

Oskee Wee Wee, The CFL Comes to Guelph

It was at one time thought a deal not done, but the announcement today shook both the worlds of Canadian football and the City of Guelph: the Hamilton Tiger Cats will indeed be playing next season at Alumni Stadium at the University of Guelph. 

Setting the Table for the Provincial Election

Obviously, when Premier Dalton McGuinty prorogued Parliament and announced his retirement about a month ago, many figured it was only a matter of time until all the people of the province of Ontario would be going to the polls. As a result, it seems there have been a number of moves in our area the in the last week to get our local line-up of candidates from major parties ready to go. And yes, there have been a few surprises.

The Escape Hatch - A Robocall Update

It's hard to believe its been almost a year since Pierre Poutine became a national scandal, and by "Pierre Poutine" I mean the somewhat clever nom du plume of the perpetrator(s) of the robocall scandal and not the charming eating establishment in Downtown Guelph.

The investigation, it seems, has reached an impasse. At least from the public perception of it. At last report, as many as five individuals with the Marty Burke campaign in 2011 had accessed a Conservative database of voters from the same I.P. address that M. Poutine used to go about his dirty business. But still, despite the ongoing ambiguity, that doesn't mean that the players in this vicious political game of Clue aren't still making news.

In Memoriam

 Hopefully this is the last word on the U.S. Election, and appropriately, it's a remembrance reel. From last night's Real Time with Bill Maher, one last chance to remember all the misanthropic, malcontent, and misguided politicians that made the 2012 election season more memorable. Click on play after the jump:

Pierre Poutine Strikes Again?

There were a number of issues with Florida as voting got underway Tuesday morning. There was the mysterious case of Florida Governor Rock Scott's dead set refusal to allow early voting to carry on, there was the case of the ballot machine touch screen that made every vote for Obama count for Romney, and there was an incident eerily familiar to Canadians in at least one Florida county, a case of the robocalls.

From the Tampa Bay Times: 

"This message is from your Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections," a woman says in the prerecorded call. "The general election is tomorrow. If you want to vote and return your mail ballot, please take it to any ballot dropoff site by 7 p.m. tomorrow. If you decide to vote at your polling place, please bring your mail ballot with you so it can be canceled and you can avoid delays." 

Twitter Breakdown

Donald Trump got a lot of press - and let's face it, that's what we likes best - about his now deleted, explosive and borderline treasonous reaction to Barack Obama's re-election on Tuesday. "He [President Obama] lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in the country," Trump Tweeted as the vote was still being counted before adding, "Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us."

But would you believe that Trump wasn't alone as high profile conservatives tweeting crazy things on election night?

Four More Years, And The Aftermath

Oh, what a night! Tonnes of surprises, and some other things that were not so surprising. On the one hand, Barack Obama, a man that had been written off so many times, beat handily Mitt Romney, a man who has been written off so many times... And although the election, like the campaign, was really close, there were some big winners and losers of the this past U.S. election. Let's break it down.

The Simpsons Do Presidential Politics

For nearly 25 years, The Simpsons have been a frequently insightful and irreverent source of political humour, and on the eve of the 2012 Presidential Election they've done it again.

In this new clip, nuclear power plant owner C. Montgomery Burns makes his case for fellow Republican Mitt Romney despite the “47 percent” tape or “the tax returns that Wesley Snipe would call suspicious.” But in the end, the whole thing might come down to an actual sniff test. But let's let Mr. Burns himself explain:

The State of Our City is Strong, Says Mayor

It's that time of year again, time for the state of the city. And undoubtedly, the state of the city, as presented my Mayor Karen Farbridge, is strong. The following is a press release from the City of Guelph, outlining what's contained within the Mayor's address, along with some helpful links to the full text of it and the visual aids that accompany it.

Read more after the jump.