Toronto council votes to ask Rob Ford to step down

So.

How about that Rob Ford council meeting today?


[Image via CBC.ca]

Look, there’s no good way to say this: there are only so many ways this can end at this point, and none of them are very good. So let’s just jump into the bog and take a look at the biggest piece of news to come out of the day: Toronto City Council has voted to officially ask Ford to take a leave of absence.

To clarify here, council can only ask Ford to step down. Whether or not he actually will step down is still entirely up to him.

As CTV points out, “While the motion is only symbolic, as council cannot force Ford to step down, councillors also voted in favour of having the integrity commissioner launch an investigation into Ford’s conduct and recommend appropriate penalties and sanctions.”

Whether Ford will step down remains to be seen (my money’s on “He’s not going anywhere”), but no matter what comes out next, or what anyone says, or what council votes for, the damage has been done. It’s like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube: it’s out, and you can’t put it back in.

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