At one point, Councillor Doug Ford yelled “I’ll whoop both your asses,” — apparently at councillors Adam Vaughan and Gord Perks — during the final hours of what could be his brother Rob Ford’s final council meeting as mayor.
Tensions started to boil when Rob Ford attacked Vaughan over his proposal that council approve a zoning amendment for a new building at 219 Queen St. W. in exchange for the developer donating $1 million for so-called Section 37 community benefits.
City staff recommended council not approve Vaughan’s motion, saying they would prefer a small building on the site, but conceded he negotiated the agreement with their input and that, without it, the developer would take the project to the Ontario Municipal Board where it might be approved without any community benefits.
“All I’m saying is that looks like a shakedown,” said the mayor, who has recently railed against Section 37 funds although they do not personally benefit a councillor and, as Ward 2 councillor, he himself used them to get a new dressing room for the school where he coaches football.
“You cannot go up to a developer and say I want $1 million when staff say they don’t want it.”
Vaughan fired back: “What is wrong with this building?” and repeated it as Ford acknowledged he knew nothing about the project itself, but that he disagreed with the process.
Ford, who has been reprimanded in the past by the city’s integrity commissioner for such statements, later relented: “If I offended the local councillors saying it was a shakedown, I withdraw that.”
But tensions heated up over another issue, prompting Ford to call Vaughan “an outright liar.”
“You just cool your jets, Mr. Mayor,” Deputy Speaker John Parker told him at one point.
During another exchange, Doug Ford yelled, “Why don’t you shut up and sit down?”
This clip is more than 20 minutes long, and there are periodic drop-outs. Here is a key to some of the highlights:
The clip begins with councillor Adam Vaughan asking Mayor Rob Ford what exactly his objection is to the proposed zoning change. The Mayor responds that the deal with the developer to pay an additional $1 million sounds like a shakedown.
4.30: Councillor Gord Perks asks Ford whether the mayor had attended any of the meetings about the zoning issue in question. Perks and Ford then have a heated exchange.
7.50: The Mayor says he will withdraw the term 'shakedown'.
8.45: Perks continues with the questions to the mayor, asking whether Ford's objections are ameliorated by the fact that the community was part of the negotiations with the developer.
11.00: Councillor Nunziata questions the mayor to clarify his objection to the zoning issue.
13.15: Councillor Shelley Carroll asks the mayor whether he was listening when city staff agreed with councillor Vaughan about the dangers of letting the zoning issue get settled with he Ontario Municipal Board.
16.20: Councillor Doug Ford blasts council for working directly with developers.
18.30: Councillor Perks wonders whether council has hit rock bottom.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: David Rider
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