Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly in charge of city’s ice storm response

While Mayor Rob Ford may serve as the public face of the city’s response to the ice storm, the day-to-day handling of the file is very much in the hands of Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

Kelly chairs the city’s emergency management program committee, a position delegated to him by council after it stripped Ford of his nonstatutory powers in November.

“If you envisaged members of council holding someone accountable for the performance throughout this crisis, my sense is that the one they would hold accountable is the deputy mayor,” he told the Star Saturday.

Ford retains his power to declare an emergency, which he has not done. As chair of the emergency committee, Kelly said he has read all updates that are then transmitted to the public, and asks questions of the other committee members to ensure that everything is running as smoothly as possible.

He said one of the first things he did on Sunday after staff informed him of the scope of the storm was call Premier Kathleen Wynne, who committed to helping the city with provincial resources.

Wynne has not been in contact with Ford.

The committee held its first formal meeting on Friday, with another scheduled for Monday. Kelly said the committee will soon begin to evaluate the city’s performance during the storm’s aftermath, and will draw up “a series of recommendations that we would present to council in the hopes that councillors down the line will be able to benefit from our experience.”

Ford is not a member of the committee, but Kelly said he has “full and complete access” to city staff, while adding, “I suspect that he meets with them collectively just prior to his news conferences.”

Toronto fire Chief Jim Sales said he shares all information with the city’s emergency operations centre, which is then forwarded to city council. “I brief all members of council as requested,” he said.

Blair Peberdy, a spokesman for Toronto Hydro, said CEO Anthony Haines sometimes briefs Ford and Kelly together, and at others times separately, depending on their schedules. He said Haines does not take direction from either one.

Kelly said he has had a good working relationship throughout this past week with Ford, who he said has a “very high profile” and has been helpful in focusing on the message of the day at the city’s morning news conferences.