City council voted 25-0 on Thursday to excuse Mayor Rob Ford’s absence from this week’s meeting.

The vote means there is virtually no chance Ford will lose his seat as a result of the indefinite leave he has taken to address his substance abuse problem.

A seat becomes vacant if a member of council misses meetings for three consecutive months without being excused. But council routinely excuses health-related absences, and there is no indication that a significant number of Ford’s colleagues want to play hardball with him.

The motion to excuse was tabled by Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, who has assumed Ford’s powers. The vote occurred at the very end of the three-day meeting, when 18 other members of council had already left the chamber.