Standoff between Bill Blair and Rob Ford now officially more exciting than the provincial election

According to reports in the Toronto Star, Bill Blair seems to be gambling his job on the hopes that Rob Ford will publicly undermine one of his strongest allies on council. The Star is reporting that Blair is attempting to work out a deal directly with the mayor, despite claims by Councillor Michael Thompson—the vice-chair of the police services board—that the chief’s refusal to make budget cuts could cost him his job. This is a risky strategy for a couple of reasons. For one, the Star points out, various reviews of the G20 are almost complete, and chances are they’ll further erode the chief’s credibility. Secondly, Ford would be wise not to publicly embarrass Thompson, with his remaining allies on council dwindling. And the impetus for Blair’s gamble might be a belief—a false one, according to some of the Star’s sources—that Thompson is just not that influential on council. To make things even more interesting, it’s still unclear who Ford is siding with. Sure, the mayor has a soft spot for the police, but one source quoted by the Star sees things differently: “He’ll be gone in a year.” Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »