It was an extraordinary news conference. 

Premier Doug Ford is in high dudgeon, attacking this morning’s Court ruling by Mr Justice Belobaba which orders a 47 Ward election in Toronto on 22 October.

Ford says he will invoke section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – a legislative override never before used in Ontario – to force an election in 25 Wards.

Ford is also appealing the Court ruling.

He is calling an emergency meeting of the Cabinet - no doubt to tell Christine Elliott and Caroline Mulroney what he has already decided. 

Queen’s Park will return on Wednesday to pass Bill 5 again using the Charter’s “notwithstanding clause 33”.

Ford is flabbergasted by the Court. He says he respects the Judiciary and then, in the same breath, points out he was elected and the Judge was appointed by Dalton McGuinty. 

Ford has an untutored one-dimensional view of democracy where there are few if any checks and balances on the Government. He mentions the power of the mandate despite the fact that cutting Toronto City Council by half never featured at all in the election campaign. He believes people power is being usurped by unaccountable Judges. 

He says the only people in favour of the 47 Ward structure are left wing councillors and activists. 

“A lot of these councillors couldn’t get a job if they weren’t a councillor.”

Ford calls in aid “constitutional experts” who apparently fell off their chairs when they heard the decision – so unexpected was it.

This is typical Ford bluster. I suspect there will be plenty of constitutional experts who agree with Mr Justice Belobaba’s reasoning.

His ruling is pasted below in its entirety. 

Ford should read it before Wednesday.

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