More than half of Torontonians feel that Mayor Rob Ford should be punished by the court if he is found guilty of ethical misconduct, according to a recent poll.

The Forum Research poll found that 55 per cent of Toronto agree that Ford should lose his job if found guilty in a conflict-of-interest hearing currently before the courts.

"Mayor Ford may be first in the hearts of his supporters, but even some of them think he's crossed the line this time,” Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said in a statement. “It will be interesting to see if he can emerge unscathed from this latest caper."

The Forum Research poll was released on Monday and found that 55 per cent agree the court should remove him from office should he be found guilty, while 39 per cent of respondents disagreed.

Fourteen per cent of people who said they supported the mayor also said he should lose his job if he loses in court.

The conflict-of-interest case stems from a vote into whether Ford should be forced to pay back money he collected after using city resources to raise money for his personal football charity.

A judge is currently deliberating on the case after a two-day trial which saw the mayor take the stand and face cross-examination.

The ongoing court case does not seem to have hampered his public image, however, with Ford’s approval rating staying steady. Forty-two per cent of Toronto approve of the job the mayor is doing, according to the poll.

The number is a slight increase from last month, when the poll found that 41 per cent of respondents approved of the job Ford has done.

The Forum Research poll found that Ford’s approval rating was highest among Torontonians 65 years of age or older (55 per cent) and drivers (53 per cent), while lowest among those with annual households with annual incomes of more than $100,000 (29 per cent).

Other notable findings from the poll:

  • About two-thirds (65 per cent) of Torontonians west of Yonge Street are satisfied with their private sector garbage collection. The number is down from last month (76 per cent).
  • Ford’s support base remains in the suburbs, with only 29 per cent of residents in the former city of Toronto or East York approving of the job he has done.
  • Ford would tie a one-on-one mayoral race against former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant, with each receiving 40 per cent support.
  • Ford would lose a one-on-one race against former health minister and mayoral candidate George Smitherman, receiving 37 per cent support to Smitherman’s 46 per cent.

The Forum poll was conducted through automated telephone calls with 834 Torontonians 18 years of age or older on Sept. 7 and 8, 2012. Results are considered accurate +/- 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.