Ford government had right to cut number of Toronto wards during 2018 election, Supreme Court rules
CBC
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government was operating within its legal powers when it cut the number of wards in Toronto in the middle of the 2018 municipal election, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled.
In a 5-4 split decision, Canada's top court said Ontario did not violate the Constitution when it cut the number of wards from a planned 47-ward system to 25 wards that would align geographically with provincial and federal ridings.
The City of Toronto argued that by cutting the number of wards in Toronto after the nomination period for elections to city council had passed, the province violated the Constitution because it limited the rights of candidates and trampled on the unwritten constitutional principle of democracy.
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Below is an earlier version of this story...
In 2018, Ford announced his decision to chop the number of wards from a planned 47-ward system to 25 wards that would align geographically with provincial and federal ridings. Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, came into force in the middle of the municipal election campaign.
At the time, Ford, a former Toronto city councillor and failed mayoral candidate, said the move would improve decision-making and save $25 million.
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