Rob Ford tried to get the city to expropriate land for a client of his family business

A newly released batch of freedom-of-information documents shows that Rob Ford’s attempts to win special favours for Apollo Health and Beauty Care, a client of his family’s label business, were actually a bit more serious than previously reported. The Globe reports that Ford tried to get city staff to consider expropriating a plot of land next to Apollo’s plant, in order to allow Apollo to create a parking lot for 24 vehicles. Expropriation—when the city forces a landowner to sell his or her property—is an extreme measure used only for pressing municipal business, like the construction of new transit infrastructure. The bureaucrats Ford involved in the discussions refused to go along with the idea, but the fact that he was willing to back the unusual request is sure to add even more legitimacy to the impression that he has tried to use his political office to dole out favours to friends.