A judge has struck down legislation cutting the size of Toronto city council in another major legal blow to Premier Doug Ford.An appeal is likely, lawyers involved in the case and the judge himself noted. That leaves the upcoming election scheduled Oct. 22 in an ongoing state of uncertainty. Ford is scheduled to address reporters at noon.“The province,” Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba wrote, “clearly crossed a line” when it suddenly introduced legislation cutting the number of wards to 25 from 47 in the middle of an election. He called the matter before him “unprecedented.”Saying the legislation’s cut to council “substantially interfered with both the candidate’s and the voter’s right to freedom of expression” guaranteed by the Charter, the judge ordered an election continue on the basis of 47 wards, returning to a state before Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, was tabled.The judge also called the legislation “unconstitutional.”The decision has no effect on Bill 5’s cancelling of regional chair elections in other municipalities.Read more:What you need to know about the judgeMeet the people who challenged province in courtBelobaba reprimanded the province for failing to justify the cut, bringing little evidence to support the hastily-made argument that the legislation would result in more effective representation for residents and arguments repeated most by Ford and others that it would make council more efficient and save taxpayers money.“It appears that Bill 5 was hurriedly enacted to take effect in the middle of the city’s election without much thought at all, more out of pique than principle,” Belobaba wrote.“As things now stand — and until a constitutionally valid provincial law says otherwise — the city has 47 wards.”In his reasons for the decision, Belobaba said candidates’ Charter rights were infringed because t ...
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