Christie Blatchford: Ice storm reawakens Toronto’s inner wimp

...during this week, there was an undeclared war among the three putative mayors for control of the helm (and to be seen as “the face” of the ice storm) and a raging debate about whether Mr. Ford should have formally declared a state of emergency in the city, and whether it would have made a whit of difference in how the blackout was handled.

Myself, I’m of the view that Mr. Ford won this battle and rather handily: He seemed clear-eyed, sober, un-cracked, in charge and in control throughout, while Mr. Kelly mostly stood about looking rugged in a ball jacket and Ms. Wynne mostly pronounced that her heart ached for all the victims. Ms. Wynne’s heart aches a great deal, it should be noted.

In any case, now that it’s all over but the whingeing (which will go on for years, trust me), Mr. Kelly is apparently thinking of calling in the army to help with the cleanup of all the damaged trees...

Kathleen Wynne had the authority to declare an emergency in Toronto (but didn't)

Yesterday, I received another email from Ward 21 Councillor "Fiasco" Joe Mihevc reiterating for the umpteenth time how "disappointed" he is that Rob Ford didn't declare a state of emergency in Toronto because of a power failure following the ice storm. Within 3 days, the number of residents affected went down to less than 2.5% of the city, but declaring an emergency was never about a real need to do so - it was about Rob Ford's dishonest Council enemies trying to emasculate him by transferring all his authority to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

...Ford wasn’t the only person who could have declared a state of emergency in Toronto last week.

Premier Kathleen Wynne could have done it as well, without Ford’s consent.

Under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, either the mayor or the premier can declare a state of emergency.

Under Section 4: “The head of council (the mayor) of a municipality may declare that an emergency exists in the municipality or in any part thereof and may take such action and make such orders as he or she considers necessary ... ’’ But in the same law, under Section 7, the premier of Ontario, “may by order declare that an emergency exists throughout Ontario or in any part of Ontario” if “in the Premier’s opinion the urgency of the situation requires that an order be made immediately.” Since Toronto is clearly “any part of Ontario” Wynne could have declared a state of emergency, without Ford’s permission.

Given that Wynne didn’t do that, it’s likely, she agreed with experts on emergency preparedness who said Ford made the right call.

h/t Blazing Cat Fur