Are you saying there's not much cause for concern in Toronto just because Montreal's organized crime is far worse?
Montreal and Vancouver's problems started somewhere, too. Anything that gives opportunity for organized crime to gain presence in a city is a very real cause for concern, regardless of how your city compares to others.
All my opinion, of course, but angling for a one-time payoff for a blackmail tape seems small-time to me. Organized crime would probably be looking at a much larger picture, such as using leverage on Ford to secure a very lucrative contract with the city for garbage removal or some such thing.
To add to this, a conservative candidate who has the goal of "reducing the size of government" in the city is a much more lucrative prospect for organized crime that someone who isn't.
Those new contracts they just had a hand in created for city services have to go somewhere.
Just because Montreal has a larger history of organized crime, doesn't make Toronto immune.
One I don't need to address it, one doesn't justify the other. False equivalency.
Two, situations are different. Admitting past fault is very different than being influenced at the time. Many examples of that on both sides, you're just picking the ones you want.
Three, it's Quebec, anything goes.
You're the one not being consistent. What else you got?
Ford only admitted past fault. Based on the evidence presented it is the sameas the Bosclaire situation. Bosclaire said he snorted coke from 96-03 when he was running for leadership in 05. Ford smoked crack a year ago and doesnt now per available evidence.
You might not believe Ford doesnt smoke crack now but then I dont really believe Bosclaire stopped either. Job performance should be the only factor. As a note I agree he should resign but not because of this ridiculous notion that he is comprimised. Everyone with a skelaton is comprimised. He should resign because his addictions are affecting job performance.
I probably should have laid out what I was saying a bit more. In this instance the tape is really nothing that bad to Rob Ford. Embarrassing? For sure, but if someone thought acquiring the tape could allow them to blackmail for anything beyond money they are delusional. The tape likely has nothing illegal going on for Ford or he would have been arrested. Smoking crack unto itself isn't illegal, possessing it is and Ford can probably claim it was someone else who had it and he just happened to be in a drunken stupor and had a few hits. As evidence from polling numbers he still has a good chance to win re-election. So if someone or a group were trying to use this for say a big contract, it probably wouldn't work because the tape isn't damaging enough. But Rob Ford is rich so trying to get some money out of it would be much more feasible.
The other thing with that situation, when organized crime is involved in getting contracts or whatever, is that those are almost always a co-operating effort and not a coercive one. Usually its bribery to the public official and not blackmail in order to obtain the contract. And if its blackmail it has to be something career threatening which again this really isn't. Damaging, but it won't ruin him.
The point about Montreal has more to do with the level of organized crime there. Most of the top level Cosa Nostra guys in Canada are based out of Montreal and they would be the kinds of guys who are more likely to be involved in political corruption than the kinds of midlevel guys a city like Toronto would have. Drug gangs and biker gangs almost certainly have no interest in political corruption.
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"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
Rob Ford is a perfect storm. He took over a city that was bleeding red and all he really did was make a bunch of cuts/privatizations to get the city back in the black. Then he sat back and got wasted. For every problem he solved, more problems have popped up. Fortunately for him, most of the problems aren't noticeable by the demographic that makes up his base.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
