Rob Ford Loses TV Show—After Record Ratings

Is the Rob Ford circus winding down? After a messy few weeks that saw the world's media take an unprecedented interest in Canadian municipal politics, the mayor has lost most of his powers, his staff—and his TV show. The conservative Sun News channel says Ford Nation has been axed after just one episode despite record ratings when it debuted on Monday, the Globe and Mail reports. A network exec says the show was expensive and difficult to produce, but the network plans to welcome the mayor and his brother Doug "as regular guests on other programming."

At City Hall, meanwhile, councilors say they're looking forward to getting back to work with Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, who will take on many of Ford's responsibilities, and senior staffers. Ford—now mainly a figurehead—will keep his office but the locks have been changed on the area the staff now working for Kelly will occupy, the Toronto Star reports. The provincial government says it now considers Kelly to be in charge of City Hall, though the deputy denies that the city now has two mayors. Ford, who plans to seek re-election and has promised "outright war" on the council, says he'll keep his office running even if he needs to bring in volunteers. (More Rob Ford stories.)