QUOTED: Justice Ian Nordheimer on why the Rob Ford–Sandro Lisi police documents should be released in full

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“We are dealing with the actions of the duly elected mayor of the country’s largest city and the extensive investigation undertaken by the police into those actions...In terms of legal proceedings, it is hard to conceive of a matter that would be of more importance to the public interest, at this particular point in time, than the one that is presented by this case in the context in which it has unfolded.”

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—Justice Ian Nordheimer, writing in today’s ruling that all portions of police documents from the investigation into Sandro Lisi and Rob Ford should be released to the public. Nordheimer is one of the many names Toronto has become familiar with during the mayor’s months-long Crackgate scandalthon. Over the past several weeks, the Superior Court judge has ordered that various elements of the documents be released—first with significant redactions, then with only a few. And now, thanks to Nordheimer, the rest of the redactions may disappear as well—including the ones concealing wiretap information. Those looking for their next hit in the scandal will have to wait, though. The remaining black boxes won’t evaporate until at least December 6 at 4:30 p.m., the judge ruled, so that the Crown has time to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

(Image: Christopher Drost)