Rob Ford’s thin skin could end up costing him.
Monday morning the publishers of NOW Magazine filed a complaint with Toronto’s integrity commissioner in response to the mayor’s alleged attempt to have all copies of the March 31 – April 6 edition of the magazine removed from city facilities.
The cover of the magazine that week famously showed a photoshopped image of a nearly-nude Ford, an illustration for a story called Naked Ambition.
Hours after it hit the newsstands, custodial supervisor Lorraine Pickett sent an email to the City Hall security desk and custodial managers at other city buildings saying, “I have a request from the Mayor’s office to remove all NOW newspapers from all City of Toronto locations/facilities ASAP.”
Later in the day, mayoral spokesperson Adrienne Batra said Pickett’s email was a misunderstanding and that the order to remove NOW copies had been reversed, but the damage had already been done. It appeared someone in the mayor’s office committed a serious breach of press freedom. The incident gained national and international attention, with all kinds of media reporting on it in Canada and American pop culture blog Gawker picking it up.
The affidavit filed with the integrity commissioner names Ford as the subject of the complaint and asserts that any attempt by the mayor’s office to remove copies of NOW from city property amounts to a violation of the Code of Conduct for Members of City Council.
In particular, section VIII, which states “No member of Council shall use the influence of her or his office for any purpose other than for the exercise of her or his official duties.” The affidavit also cites section XIV of the Code, which reads “All members of Council have a duty to treat members of the public … appropriately and without abuse, bullying or intimidation.”
“This is a disturbing infringement on the right to free expression and speaks to a careless disregard for democracy in the highest office of city government,” said NOW editor and CEO Alice Klein.
“We have a right to know who ordered this infringement of our democratic rights and to see that there are consequences for those who are responsible for this outrageous act.”
If the integrity commissioner finds that Ford has violated the Code of Conduct, he could face a reprimand from Council or the suspension of his pay for up to 90 days. The commissioner could also direct the mayor to make a formal apology.
