Toronto mayor designates council item urging him to take leave 'key'

TORONTO, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Setting up a potential battle, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford designated a motion urging him to take a leave of absence as a "key" item for Wednesday's council agenda.

"Let's get it on," Ford said of debate on council member Denzil Minnan-Wong's motion urging the mayor take a leave or face provincial action after he admitted he used crack cocaine and a video surfaced of him rambling about "first-degree murder," The Toronto Star reported Tuesday.

Toronto's communications chief Jackie DeSouza said designating Minnan-Wong's motion as "key" means Ford "will be subject to questioning."

Minnan-Wong, a Ford ally on council and member of the mayor's executive committee, said designating his motion a "key" item "is the right thing to do."

Because there is no formal mechanism for council to remove Ford, Minnan-Wong's motion is largely symbolic, the Star said.

"He needs to take it head-on. This will be a cloud on the entire council meeting ... because I think all members of council want to deal with this," Minnan-Wong said. "I think it's critically important that council speaks as one voice to say that what he's done is wrong."