Toronto Mayor Rob Ford could file injunction against council

TORONTO, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's lawyer said he's considering an injunction to stop a City Council meeting aimed at taking away the mayor's powers and budget.

Council members could vote Monday to transfer to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly "all powers and duties which are not by statute assigned to the mayor," as well as transfer Ford's budget to Kelly in reaction to the mayor's admitted drug and alcohol use, the Toronto Star reported.

Ford's lawyer, George Rust-D'Eye, an expert on Ontario municipal law, said he met with Ford Saturday to discuss "what, if any, actions the mayor will take between now and Monday's council meeting."

"The council can't just come along and say, 'You don't have those powers, and we're going to essentially make you into the deputy mayor and the deputy mayor into the mayor,'" Rust-D'Eye said.

The lawyer said he hasn't ruled out going to court against the council, but he'd rather not.

"Going to court, it's expensive, it's complicated and it's time-consuming and it may not solve the dispute between the parties," he said. "It would be better to try to convince the council that they shouldn't be doing this. But if there is no other alternative, and if council is exceeding its jurisdiction, the only alternative is to go court to quash the bylaw [if it is enacted]."