Amid cries of "Shame! Shame!" scandal-plagued Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was stripped of the last of his meaningful powers after a heated City Council debate.

When Rob Ford was elected mayor of Toronto in 2010, his bluster and checkered past were widely known. A plurality of voters backed him anyway, eager to shake things up at a City Hall they viewed as elitist and wasteful.

Toronto's City Council has voted overwhelmingly to strip Mayor Rob Ford of some of his powers, trying to box in the brash leader who has rebuffed huge pressure to resign over his drinking and drug habits and erratic behaviour.

Toronto's Mayor denied that he coerced a female employee for oral sex, in a televised statement in which he also threatened to take legal action against ex-staffers who spoke to police.

Toronto's mayor has denied that he pressured a female staffer for oral sex, in an obscenity-laced statement on live television in which he also threatened to take legal action against former staffers who spoke to police about his drinking and drug use.

New Zealand author Eleanor Catton has picked up another trophy for her Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries.

There's no better way to cross Canada than on a train, says Anthony Lambert.

A new video that surfaced overnight shows Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in a rambling rage, using threatening words including "kill" and "murder," as the saga that has gripped Canadians for months took yet another twist.

If your mind's slowly turning to the Christmas holidays and you're after something different, consider these top ski resorts.