Rob Ford thrown out of Toronto council meeting

Coun. Rob Ford was thrown out of council on Wednesday afternoon, after he refused to apologize for comments he made about city staff.

The controversy came after a report came to council about sending city staff and a city councillor on a trip to Italy, as part of an effort to promote the city as a potential site for a future Expo.

The cost of the trip was absent from the report, which led to a moment where Ford suggested it was "very hard to believe" the omission was unintentional.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is seen speaking in council chambers on Wednesday. (CBC)

That began the process that saw the Speaker ask Ford to leave the meeting.

"Councillor Ford, please, the staff answered your question," Speaker Frances Nunziata said.

Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon then called for a retraction of the comments, which Ford said were grounded in his opinion. Nunziata then told Ford to retract the comments and also to apologize.

The councillor demanded a recorded vote on the matter, but Speaker Frances Nunziata informed him that wasn't warranted as she had made a ruling.

"Councillor Ford, I followed the procedure. I asked you three times to please retract your comments and apologize. That's how it works. I know how it works," Nunziata said, as Ford argued that she hadn't followed the proper procedures.

When Ford declined to apologize, he was asked to leave.

Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti then challenged the chair and a vote was taken. Council voted to uphold the ruling.

The incident came a day after Ford pressed Mayor John Tory about the cost of studying SmartTrack.

Tory reminded Ford about the outcome of the election.

"I won the election," Tory said.

The mayor, when asked about the exchange later in the day, told reporters he's "not a punching bag."

When Tory was elected in October, Ford was no longer as a mayoral contender, as he had dropped from the mayoral race after being diagnosed with cancer.

Ford instead ran for a council spot in Ward 2, which he won. That's why Toronto has ended up with a mayor and his immediate predecessor sitting as members of the same council.

Ford has said he plans to run for mayor again in 2018, provided he is healthy enough to do so.