Rob Ford will remain mayor, for now

This morning, an Ontario Superior Court judge deemed that Rob Ford can remain in office until after a judgment is issued in his appeal, which is being heard January 7. (If Ford had lost today’s hearing, he would have had to vacate the office by Monday.) The decision surprised pretty much no one, since Clayton Ruby and his client Paul Magder had already agreed to the stay, explaining that it would “give the city of Toronto a measure of stability.” A very small measure of stability—although there won’t be a snap by-election, Ford’s fate will remain in limbo through the upcoming weeks of budget talks. Moreover, with at least one high-profile pundit predicting that Ford will lose his appeal, we doubt Toronto’s raft of would-be mayors are shelving their aspirations. [Toronto Star]