Even in self-imposed exile, Rob Ford is under official scrutiny

Even now, it’s hard to have much sympathy for Rob Ford, but let’s take a moment to consider how bad things continue to be for him. Even while he’s in rehab, and despite the fact that he’s already under criminal investigation, his rivals at city hall are still trying to expose more of his alleged improprieties.

The Globe reports that councillors are in the process of trying to convince the city’s integrity commissioner to reopen an investigation into Ford’s possible use of city staff and resources for personal benefit. (The integrity commissioner suspended the probe after Ford left town for treatment.) At the same time, mayoral candidate David Soknacki is raising money to fund a freedom-of-information request that he says may prove that the mayor used city resources for campaign purposes, which is against city rules. All of this is on top of the Globe’s recent investigation into Ford’s shady dealings on behalf of a client of his family company.

Misuse of city resources for personal purposes was at the heart of the conflict-of-interest lawsuit that almost resulted in Ford being removed from office in 2012. Even if the mayor emerges from rehab a new man, he’ll almost certainly find some of the same old problems waiting for him on his return.