Can Doug Ford survive without the chaos he creates at Toronto City Hall?

The recent chaotic nature at Toronto City Hall is something that the whole world is fully aware of at this point, with shouting matches breaking out involving Mayor Rob Ford, Coun. Doug Ford and other councillors, as well as grandstanding and verbal attacks on the council floor.

With Doug preparing for a possible leap into provincial politics, he may have some work to do to leave that all behind.

Outgoing Toronto councillor Doug Ford was told to shut his "f__king mouth" at city hall on Wednesday. And while no one can defend such a comment, he surely shouldn't be one to feign outrage.

The vocal brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has a long history of name calling and juvenility during his three years as a councillor. With an anticipated leap to provincial politics, one suspects a sudden maturation is around the corner.

Wednesday's incident, captured on video, came during a budget committee meeting during a debate into ultimately rejected funding for after-school programs, proposed by Coun. Janet Davis.

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At one point during the session, Davis approached Ford and whispered something in his ear, at which point the councillor jumped from his seat and demanded an apology from meeting chair Coun. Francis Di Giorgio.

"She just came up to me and told me to keep my effing mouth shut. She should leave the room now. It is disgusting," Ford demanded. "I don't need that conduct here, why don't you just leave? You call yourself a lady? Give me a break."

Di Giorgio asked Davis to apologize, which she did. Davis later explained to the Toronto Sun that she was reacting to Ford's comments about her motion to expand after-school recreational program for children.

“I shouldn’t have said what I did,” she told the newspaper. “I find it so objectionable the way he characterized programs for children and the things we were trying to achieve for the families of Toronto. He called it all garbage and stupid, I can’t remember the exact words.”

There's no doubt that Davis' comments were inappropriate, but the idea that Doug Ford holds city hall and those who work within it in any level of reverence is laughable. He celebrates the chaos. He goads rivals into the ditch, and when they bite, he points fingers and tsks their immaturity.

Since being elected in 2010, Ford has made a name for himself as his brother's pit bull and mouthpiece. He has frequently shot down other councillors and has made it a habit of being asked to apologize by the council speaker.

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Last month, Ford apologized for handing out $20 bills to constituents in an act he says was not an attempt to buy votes. Before that, he apologized in council following an extended outburst at the peak of his brother's drug scandal. During the diatribe, Ford asked pointed personal questions to another councillor, which were ruled out of order.

In 2012, he apologized for using the derogatory term "Polack" on his now-defunct radio program – on which he and his brother took frequent jabs at media and rival councillors. That same year, he offered a near-apology after calling reporters a “bunch of little sucky little babies” and "a bunch of pricks." This is a small sampling.

During his time at city hall, Doug Ford has made aggressive antagonism an art form. He disrupted council sessions, confronted members of the public and accused the chief of police of a political agenda.

Now, as he prepares for a possible provincial election, he may be forced to change his tack.

Ontario PC MPP Doug Holyday, a Ford family ally and the former deputy mayor, told the Globe and Mail that things are different at Queen's Park. They are less chaotic than city hall, he said, where "they’d be yelling and screaming and carrying on, and people trying to grab you and everything."

Said Holyday: "If he does come here, I’ll certainly be speaking with him on how I think things work here and what I think he needs to do to help us. It’s different here and he’s got to understand the difference. If he really wants to come here, he’s going to have to play by the rules."

Funny that working at Toronto City Hall could be considered the political equivalent of kindergarten recess. It is the sixth-largest government in Canada, larger than many provincial governments. But that’s where we are at.

There is rumour that Ford’s 19-year-old nephew will be running to replace him on council. So at least there is a chance the Ford brand will see some maturity growth at city hall.