Mayor Ford’s approval rating up slightly; most feel he should step down

A poll released Friday shows Mayor Rob Ford’s approval rating has climbed since the announcement by Toronto police chief Bill Blair that a video of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine does exist.

The Forum Research poll conducted on Thursday shows Ford’s approval rating has climbed slightly to 44 per cent, up from 39 per cent on Oct. 28.

“That number is job approval rating and it’s very specific – it’s about the job and not his personal life,” Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff told CityNews.

“We know people and Canadians in particular separate out politicians’ professional lives from their personal lives.”

After meeting with his executive committee on Saturday afternoon, Ford is expected to make an announcement during his weekly radio show on Sunday.

Bozinoff told the Toronto Star the rise could be due to the margin of error or sympathy.

According to Bozinoff, the question is can Ford continue to do his job after not being at city hall during Friday’s budget committee meeting.

“We asked if he should resign or not,” Bozinoff said. “A large majority, 60 per cent, said yes.”

The poll also revealed 98 per cent of those polled had heard about the alleged crack video.

“We don’t get numbers in the 90s,” Bozinoff said. “This is 98 per cent. It almost looks like a typo but it’s not. It’s just a huge number.”

A majority, 68 per cent of those polled, believe the video is authentic and think it should be made public.

With files from CityNews.ca staff