Rob Ford
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce "Rob" Ford (born May 28, 1969) is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council
in the 2000 Toronto municipal election
, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006. In 2010, Ford was elected Mayor in a hotly contested election
, and took office on December 1.
, and the founder of the printing business that made the family rich. Ford studied political science
at Carleton University
but dropped out after the first year. Ford is a graduate of Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy
in Etobicoke.
He resides in Etobicoke
with his wife Renata and their daughter and son. Ford is a supporter, volunteer and/or member of the Salvation Army
's Red Shield Appeal, Terry Fox Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce
, Toronto Board of Trade
and the Toronto West Rotary Club.
Ford actively supports high school football programmes in Toronto. He donated $20,000 to equip Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School
's football team, which he has also coached since 2001, and has started a foundation to fund teams at other struggling schools.
in 2000, when he defeated incumbent Elizabeth Brown. He was re-elected in 2003
to his Etobicoke North seat, with 80 percent of the vote. In the 2006 election
, he won again, this time with 66 percent of the vote.
In 2003, Ford supported increased funding for the TTC
. He also supported the inquiry into the MFP scandal
.
Ford has been a strong critic of the perks that are afforded to city politicians. He regularly proposed motions to cut back such spending. All of his proposed cutbacks have been defeated. He has also made headlines by claiming the least amount of money budgeted for councillor office expenses. Ford has consistently filed an expense budget of $0 or close to it. As of 2007, councillors are allowed a maximum office budget of $53,100. In November, 2007, Ford was investigated by the city's integrity commissioner over his spending habits. In a report to the Executive Committee, the commissioner concluded that Ford had failed to report office expenses that he had paid for out of his own pocket. He also printed flyers at his family's printing business for distribution to his constituents, again at his own expense. City policy requires that these expenses must be paid through the councillor's budget rather than with personal funds even though this would likely entail Rob Ford paying himself for the use of his own printing facility. As of November 27, Ford refused to comply with the city's policy.
In March 2007, Ford opposed providing city funds to build bicycle lanes
on roads. During the 2007 city budget debate, he said, "I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day." At the May 25, 2009 Council meeting to discuss reducing Jarvis St. from five lanes of traffic to four, Ford called cyclists "a pain in the ass" for motorists.
In May 2010, the city's integrity commissioner recommended that Ford be reprimanded for breaching confidentiality. In August 2009, he revealed the price of a residential sale on an AM 640 talk show that was still a confidential discussion. Commissioner Janet Leiper wrote in her report that "Ford failed to read the report, failed to check his assumption that the matter had been debated and could be revealed in public, and recklessly revealed confidential information to the public on the radio broadcast." The sale of the house was delayed a year due to Ford's indiscretion. This was the fourth time that Ford has violated council's code of conduct. In the previous minor breaches, Ford was not reprimanded.
Ford brought the tax free status of councillors' perks up for discussion at council and also brought it to the attention of Revenue Canada, which looked into the issue and found the perks should have been taxable. Ford, who has long spoken out against councillors' "perks", said the CRA is right to crack down on free transit passes for councillors. "All these perks, one right after the other. And I've tried to get rid of them at budget meetings and they just laugh at me," he said. "I think it's great that they're forcing us to show who's used [a pass], and how many times you've used it. And if you have used it, you have to pay taxes on it, 'cause it is an income." Mr. Ford said he has filed numerous complaints with the CRA, and, "finally, somebody up there's listening." On April 30, 2010, Gary Webster, the TTC chief general manager said a Revenue Canada audit of the City of Toronto for 2006 and 2007 found they should have been paying taxes on their TTC pass freebie worth about $1,100 a year. Toronto city councillors have now been told to surrender their free Metropasses immediately or risk paying back taxes on them after the Canada Revenue Agency deemed them a taxable benefit. Happy with decision, Ford told the Toronto Star, "It took 10 years but, at the end of the day, councillors will have to pay to get on the bus like everyone else."
on March 26, 2010. The Toronto Star
s Royson James
noted that Ford's was the most raucous, jubilant, and enthusiastic campaign launch of the 2010 Toronto mayoralty race. Councillor Mike Del Grande says of Ford: "He’s very popular with ‘Joe Public.’ He’s definitely a contender, not a wild card." At the campaign kickoff meeting, Ford laid out his platform, organized into four main themes: "putting people and families first, focusing on the fundamentals, reducing waste and eliminating unnecessary taxes." Among his campaign promises, he said that he would repeal the vehicle registration and land transfer taxes implemented by current mayor, David Miller, and make the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service. He said there was "enough fat and inefficiency to slash costs while dramatically improving customer service." He also said he would work to cut the number of councillors on city council by half. In describing Ford’s vision for Toronto, the candidate said: "It’s going to be spotless. You go downtown now, you see all the graffiti – you aren’t going to have any graffiti there." Ford promised to improve services for residents of the city's low-cost housing, as he has done in his own ward, and to help bring homeless people in off the streets. He said "We’re going to help the people you see laying on the streets. A lot of them are drug addicts or alcoholics."
Ford's campaign used a novel approach for Toronto which worked effectively, despite “the conventional wisdom [that] conservatives don’t win in Toronto”. His staff disregarded the conventional strategy of placing emphasis on target seats and focusing only on certain areas, which is used at the national, provincial and mainstream party level. Instead, his campaign bypassed traditional media outlets, using telephone town halls to call some 40,000 homes simultaneously and invite respondents to a talk-radio-style event hosted by Ford. This created grassroots momentum and facilitated small donations and grew the campaign’s database.
Ford campaigned on ending wasteful spending at City Hall, and his slogans such as "Stop the Gravy Train" and “respect for taxpayers” resonated with the public. His campaign's extensive internal polls showed that wasteful spending at City Hall was one of the biggest concerns among voters, although that "seemed to be the last thing any of the other candidates were talking about”. Ford also pledged to do away from the city's century-old fair-wage policy, which required that private contractors be paid the same as union employees. Several of Ford's policies were in reaction to then-current Mayor David Miller's inability to deal with the unions during the 2009 garbage strike. It was said that Ford successfully tapped into recession-weary “ordinary” people who comprise the bulk of the population Toronto, who were angry at perceived financial mismanagement at City Hall and powerful city employee unions with generous benefits and pension plans. Ford's message of putting taxpayers’ interests before that of labour and special interests was also said to have attracted wide support among diverse immigrant communities in the inner-city and suburbs (who demographics contrast sharply with the "urbane creative class" of The Beach and the Annex neighborhoods). By contrast, "people knew precisely nothing about what George Smitherman stood for", according to a spokesman for George Smitherman
who was considered Ford's chief opponent.
Rival George Smitherman
and other political opponents attempted to make an issue of Ford's past controversial statements and incidents. However, these did little to hurt Ford's popularity. A pollster found that "one middle-aged woman explained that she would overlook personality failings in a mayor – as long as he didn’t waste her taxes". According to a staffer, these personal attacks were turned into advantages by the Ford campaign, who portrayed rivals making these personal attacks as trying to keep the gravy train going".
On May 6, 2010, Ford fired a worker on his campaign team for sending a twitter message. The tweet attacked fellow mayoral candidate George Smitherman
over recent comments about AIDS. The message read "Smitherman should spend less time attacking Ford for telling truth about AIDS, more time coming up with actual policies." The message relates to astatement Ford made in council in 2006 about AIDS being "very preventable. If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s the bottom line."
On August 17, 2010, The National Post reported that a computer user inside the Toronto Star
company made edits to the Wikipedia article about Ford that his campaign considered "very serious libel" and copyright infringement. Bob Hepburn, a Toronto Star spokesman, denied responsibility for the edits. "The Toronto Star owns a couple of these IP portals and they come under Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, which is a broader thing. The Toronto Star itself has a separate portal," said Hepburn.
On August 26, 2010, the Toronto Star reported that an E-mail enquiry from a prospective voter was answered through the mechanism of a computerised form letter, and when filling out the form letter, someone apparently forgot to replace a bolded entry field in the second paragraph of the letter reading "Insert vague response on policy".
Ford strongly criticized a sole sourced contract signed by city council giving the owners of the Boardwalk Pub a 20 year lease extension to run the restaurant which is in Ashbridges Bay Park in the city's east end. On July 29, Ford was asked about the deal on a radio interview. He said "I truly believe they are, and that’s my personal opinion, and when I see all these donations, going through campaigns, it stinks to high heaven, we tried to re-open it, and they wouldn’t re-open it." On August 12, Ford was quoted as saying the deal "smacks of civic corruption." The owner, George Foulidis, said that he gave Ford a chance to apologize for the remarks but Ford refused to do so. Foulidis said he had no choice but to launch the lawsuit for $6 million. The criticism over the non-bid contract of the Boardwalk Pub was said to be a key factor in the landslide defeat of incumbent councilor Sandra Bussin
who supported the deal.
During the 2010 mayoral election Ford, in an interview with the Toronto Star
seemed to imply that he graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa
. Shortly after publication Ford's deputy communications director, Fraser Macdonald, issued a clarification that “While Rob did attend Carleton University for political science, he actually left school two credits short of graduating when his sister fell upon hard times”. In December 2010, it was reported that Ford left Carleton after only one year and Rob Ford said that he went on to York University
after leaving Carleton where he took six continuing education courses between 1990 and 1991.
Ford garnered controversy again in August 2010 after endorsing Pastor Wendell Brereton, who is running for city councillor in Ward 6. Pastor Brereton has suggested online that same-sex marriage could “dismantle” a “healthy democratic civilization.” Ford has said in regards to Pastor Brereton that “We’re together. We have the same thoughts." Ford also has noted that he opposes same-sex marriage. "I always have," he stated. "But if people want to, to each their own. I’m not worried about what people do in their private life. I look out for taxpayers’ money."
A Nanos Research poll, published on September 19, 2010, showed Ford doubling his lead from 12% to 24.5% over second-place candidate Smitherman (45.8% to 21.3% of decided voters). The Nanos Research Poll asked 1021 "likely voters" from September 14 and 16 with Rob Ford receiving 34.4% of likely voters, Smitherman 16%, Joe Pantalone
12% and undecided voters at 25%. A Global News Ipsos-Reid poll released Monday, September 27 showed Ford's lead diminishing at 28 per cent, with George Smitherman at 23 per cent, Joe Pantalone at 10 per cent, and Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson (who dropped from the race on September 28) at seven per cent each. On October 22., an EKOS Research Poll found Ford with an 8 per cent lead over second place Smitherman in decided voters; 43.9% to 35.6%.
Ford was elected mayor with 380,201 votes (47%) over Smitherman's 287,393 (35.6%) and Pantalone with 94,840 (11.7%). The voter turnout was around 52% of registered voters, the highest in Toronto's post-amalgamation history. Ford's 11% margin of victory was the largest for any incoming mayor in post-amalgamation history, roughly double that of Mel Lastman in 1997 and David Miller in 2003. While ward-by-ward electoral results showed that Ford had won all the suburbs compared to Smitherman who topped (old Toronto) districts, Ford also received significicant support (80000 votes) from the "Downtown 13” wards which made up over 20% of his total votes. By contrast, 60% of Smitherman's strongholds were located in Ward 27 and 28, which makes up his former provincial MPP riding.
introduce him. Cherry garnered some controversy with his references to "left wing pinkos" and "kooks".
In May 2011, a three-member panel unanimously voted to proceed with an audit of the Mayor's campaign finances after election fraud complaints were made.
In June 2011, Ford yet again stirred up controversy when he refused to attend Toronto's annual Pride Parade or any Pride festivities in the week leading up to the Pride Parade breaking a more than decade long tradition of Toronto Mayors supporting the city's LBGQT community.
On September 16, 2011, a poll conducted by Toronto market research firm Forum Research revealed that only 27% of Toronto's residents indicated they would reelect Ford, were an election held around that date. A series of unpopular cuts proposed by Ford contributed to the downslide in his popularity. According to another Forum study, approximately 67% of Toronto residents approved of Ford's leadership during his first six months in office.
would open in his suburban Etobicoke ward. Later in the same year, he was quoted while berating an anti-poverty activist, "Do you have a job, sir? I'll give you a newspaper to find a job, like everyone else has to do between 9 and 5." In 2005, Ford told a homeless protestor, "I'm working. Why don't you get a job?"
About the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests
he said, “If I was the chief, I would have moved in Saturday afternoon and cleaned house” "I don't think there should be an inquiry or review... . I think our police force was too nice."
In March 2011, Ford said that he will not allow city funding for the 2011 Toronto Pride Parade if organizers allow the controversial group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
(QuAIA) march again this year. “Taxpayers dollars should not go toward funding hate speech,” Ford said. In April 2011, QuAIA announced that it would not participate in the Toronto Pride Parade.
Ford criticized the city-owned Toronto Community Housing Corporation
: "They treat people worse like animals . . . There needs to be a good cleaning at TCHC, and I’m the one to do it.” The same article claims Ford reports he has not "smoked pot in 25 years" and that he denies having told a woman at a public event to go to Iran to be "raped and shot".
, who occupies a neighbouring ward, have often scrapped with each other and these exchanges have made headlines in local newspapers. Controversy erupted when several councillors reportedly heard Ford call Mammoliti "Gino boy" in the debate over the 2002 budget. Mammoliti filed a complaint for the ethnic slur. Mammoliti's son Michael filed his papers to run against Ford in the 2003 municipal election
, but withdrew at the last moment. In March 2003, in a debate over the budget of the Toronto Zoo
, Ford called Mammoliti, who chairs the zoo board, a "snake" and a "weasel" in council. In September 2010, Mammoliti endorsed Ford for Mayor. Mammoliti has since become one of Ford's staunchest allies and supporters, even going as far as to defend Ford's policies to the media.
In 2006, allegations arose of his conduct at a Toronto Maple Leafs
game. Two audience members alleged Ford instigated a shouting match. Security at the Air Canada Centre
later ejected Ford from the venue. Initially, Ford denied involvement, claiming mistaken identity. The following day, Ford confirmed the allegations and announced his apology to the couple. He cited personal problems as a reason for his behaviour.
Further controversy erupted in a Toronto City Council session when Ford argued against the city spending $1.5 million on AIDS prevention programmes. Ford stated that "(AIDS) is very preventable," and that "if you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn't get AIDS probably, that's bottom line." With respect to the increasing rates of women contracting the disease, Ford said; "How are women getting it? Maybe they are sleeping with bisexual men." During a June 2005 council debate, Ford said, "I don't understand a transgender," asking "is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy?"
Again sparking controversy during a March 2008 debate at City Hall, Ford said, "Those Oriental people
work like dogs. They work their hearts out ... that's why they're successful in life. ... I'm telling you, Oriental people, they're slowly taking over, because there's no excuses for them. They're hard, hard workers." He drew criticism for those remarks from Mayor David Miller
, budget chief Shelley Carroll
and other councillors.
In 1999, Ford was arrested in Miami for driving under the influence
(DUI) and marijuana possession charges. According to the statement recorded by the arresting officer, Ford was acting nervous, had blood shot eyes and had "a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath". Ford threw his hands up in the air and told the police officer, "Go ahead, take me to jail." Until he was questioned by reporters, Ford said that the marijuana charge had "completely, totally slipped my mind" because the more serious issue during that arrest was the DUI charge. Ford initially denied the DUI charge, claiming instead he was arrested because he "refused to give a breath sample".
On October 24, 2011, Ford was confronted at his home by Mary Walsh, a cast member of the satirical show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
, in costume as her character Marg Delahunty. Walsh has frequently conducted "ambush" interviews of Canadian politicians as this character, a housewife who dresses in an outfit inspired by Xena: Warrior Princess
. Ford called 911
twice, reportedly shouting at the dispatcher "You … bitches! Don't you fucking know? I'm Rob fucking Ford, the mayor of this city!" Ford denied directing "foul and derogatory comments" at the dispatcher but apologized for his use of profanity. Toronto police Chief Bill Blair released a statement shortly afterwards stating that he had reviewed three emergency calls involving the mayor and that their content had been 'misrepresented'. According to the chief, the word 'bitches' was never used nor did the mayor describe himself as originally claimed.
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in the 2000 Toronto municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2000
The Toronto municipal election of 2000, dubbed "Toronto Vote 2000" was the municipal and school board election held in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 13, 2000.Elections were held to elect:* the Mayor of Toronto,* councillors for each of Toronto's 44 wards,* trustees...
, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006. In 2010, Ford was elected Mayor in a hotly contested election
Toronto mayoral election, 2010
The 2010 Toronto mayoral election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor of the City of Toronto, Canada. The mayor's seat was open for the first time since the 2003 Toronto election due to the announcement by incumbent mayor David Miller that he will not seek a third term in office...
, and took office on December 1.
Personal life
Ford is a lifelong resident of Toronto. He is the son of Doug Ford, who was a Member of the Ontario Legislature in the Conservative government of Mike HarrisMike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, and the founder of the printing business that made the family rich. Ford studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
but dropped out after the first year. Ford is a graduate of Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy
Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy
Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy is a secondary school within the Toronto District School Board whose curriculum is broadened through a Student Leadership Development Program. This program extends the base curriculum....
in Etobicoke.
He resides in Etobicoke
Etobicoke, Ontario
Etobicoke is a dissolved municipality located within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the western section of the current city, it had an official population of 338,117 as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. While it only contains 13% of...
with his wife Renata and their daughter and son. Ford is a supporter, volunteer and/or member of the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
's Red Shield Appeal, Terry Fox Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, Toronto Board of Trade
Toronto Board of Trade
The Toronto Board of Trade is Toronto's chamber of commerce, the largest local chamber of commerce in Canada, representing more than 10,000 business and individual members with about 500,000 employees across Canada and annual revenues of more than $200 billion .It is a non-profit organization with...
and the Toronto West Rotary Club.
Ford actively supports high school football programmes in Toronto. He donated $20,000 to equip Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School
Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School
Don Bosco Catholic Secondary, formerly Keiller Mackay Collegiate Institute, is a catholic secondary school in Etobicoke in the city of Toronto, Ontario and is located at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Dixon Road. The school is named after Saint John Bosco-History:Don Bosco Catholic...
's football team, which he has also coached since 2001, and has started a foundation to fund teams at other struggling schools.
City councillor
Ford was elected to Toronto City CouncilToronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in 2000, when he defeated incumbent Elizabeth Brown. He was re-elected in 2003
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
to his Etobicoke North seat, with 80 percent of the vote. In the 2006 election
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
, he won again, this time with 66 percent of the vote.
In 2003, Ford supported increased funding for the TTC
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
. He also supported the inquiry into the MFP scandal
Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry
The Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry was a judicial inquiry into allegations of conflict of interest, bribery and misappropriation of funds around computer leasing contracts entered into by Toronto, Ontario's municipal government in 1998 and 1999...
.
Ford has been a strong critic of the perks that are afforded to city politicians. He regularly proposed motions to cut back such spending. All of his proposed cutbacks have been defeated. He has also made headlines by claiming the least amount of money budgeted for councillor office expenses. Ford has consistently filed an expense budget of $0 or close to it. As of 2007, councillors are allowed a maximum office budget of $53,100. In November, 2007, Ford was investigated by the city's integrity commissioner over his spending habits. In a report to the Executive Committee, the commissioner concluded that Ford had failed to report office expenses that he had paid for out of his own pocket. He also printed flyers at his family's printing business for distribution to his constituents, again at his own expense. City policy requires that these expenses must be paid through the councillor's budget rather than with personal funds even though this would likely entail Rob Ford paying himself for the use of his own printing facility. As of November 27, Ford refused to comply with the city's policy.
In March 2007, Ford opposed providing city funds to build bicycle lanes
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
on roads. During the 2007 city budget debate, he said, "I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day." At the May 25, 2009 Council meeting to discuss reducing Jarvis St. from five lanes of traffic to four, Ford called cyclists "a pain in the ass" for motorists.
In May 2010, the city's integrity commissioner recommended that Ford be reprimanded for breaching confidentiality. In August 2009, he revealed the price of a residential sale on an AM 640 talk show that was still a confidential discussion. Commissioner Janet Leiper wrote in her report that "Ford failed to read the report, failed to check his assumption that the matter had been debated and could be revealed in public, and recklessly revealed confidential information to the public on the radio broadcast." The sale of the house was delayed a year due to Ford's indiscretion. This was the fourth time that Ford has violated council's code of conduct. In the previous minor breaches, Ford was not reprimanded.
Ford brought the tax free status of councillors' perks up for discussion at council and also brought it to the attention of Revenue Canada, which looked into the issue and found the perks should have been taxable. Ford, who has long spoken out against councillors' "perks", said the CRA is right to crack down on free transit passes for councillors. "All these perks, one right after the other. And I've tried to get rid of them at budget meetings and they just laugh at me," he said. "I think it's great that they're forcing us to show who's used [a pass], and how many times you've used it. And if you have used it, you have to pay taxes on it, 'cause it is an income." Mr. Ford said he has filed numerous complaints with the CRA, and, "finally, somebody up there's listening." On April 30, 2010, Gary Webster, the TTC chief general manager said a Revenue Canada audit of the City of Toronto for 2006 and 2007 found they should have been paying taxes on their TTC pass freebie worth about $1,100 a year. Toronto city councillors have now been told to surrender their free Metropasses immediately or risk paying back taxes on them after the Canada Revenue Agency deemed them a taxable benefit. Happy with decision, Ford told the Toronto Star, "It took 10 years but, at the end of the day, councillors will have to pay to get on the bus like everyone else."
Toronto mayoral election
Ford declared his candidacy for Mayor of Toronto in the 2010 electionToronto municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Toronto municipal election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Canada. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest and...
on March 26, 2010. The Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
s Royson James
Royson James
Royson James is the municipal affairs columnist of the Toronto Star, a major metropolitan newspaper in Toronto, Ontario. Before becoming a columnist, he worked at the Toronto Star covering municipal politics in Scarborough, North York and Metropolitan Toronto, and later served on the newspaper's...
noted that Ford's was the most raucous, jubilant, and enthusiastic campaign launch of the 2010 Toronto mayoralty race. Councillor Mike Del Grande says of Ford: "He’s very popular with ‘Joe Public.’ He’s definitely a contender, not a wild card." At the campaign kickoff meeting, Ford laid out his platform, organized into four main themes: "putting people and families first, focusing on the fundamentals, reducing waste and eliminating unnecessary taxes." Among his campaign promises, he said that he would repeal the vehicle registration and land transfer taxes implemented by current mayor, David Miller, and make the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service. He said there was "enough fat and inefficiency to slash costs while dramatically improving customer service." He also said he would work to cut the number of councillors on city council by half. In describing Ford’s vision for Toronto, the candidate said: "It’s going to be spotless. You go downtown now, you see all the graffiti – you aren’t going to have any graffiti there." Ford promised to improve services for residents of the city's low-cost housing, as he has done in his own ward, and to help bring homeless people in off the streets. He said "We’re going to help the people you see laying on the streets. A lot of them are drug addicts or alcoholics."
Ford's campaign used a novel approach for Toronto which worked effectively, despite “the conventional wisdom [that] conservatives don’t win in Toronto”. His staff disregarded the conventional strategy of placing emphasis on target seats and focusing only on certain areas, which is used at the national, provincial and mainstream party level. Instead, his campaign bypassed traditional media outlets, using telephone town halls to call some 40,000 homes simultaneously and invite respondents to a talk-radio-style event hosted by Ford. This created grassroots momentum and facilitated small donations and grew the campaign’s database.
Ford campaigned on ending wasteful spending at City Hall, and his slogans such as "Stop the Gravy Train" and “respect for taxpayers” resonated with the public. His campaign's extensive internal polls showed that wasteful spending at City Hall was one of the biggest concerns among voters, although that "seemed to be the last thing any of the other candidates were talking about”. Ford also pledged to do away from the city's century-old fair-wage policy, which required that private contractors be paid the same as union employees. Several of Ford's policies were in reaction to then-current Mayor David Miller's inability to deal with the unions during the 2009 garbage strike. It was said that Ford successfully tapped into recession-weary “ordinary” people who comprise the bulk of the population Toronto, who were angry at perceived financial mismanagement at City Hall and powerful city employee unions with generous benefits and pension plans. Ford's message of putting taxpayers’ interests before that of labour and special interests was also said to have attracted wide support among diverse immigrant communities in the inner-city and suburbs (who demographics contrast sharply with the "urbane creative class" of The Beach and the Annex neighborhoods). By contrast, "people knew precisely nothing about what George Smitherman stood for", according to a spokesman for George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
who was considered Ford's chief opponent.
Rival George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
and other political opponents attempted to make an issue of Ford's past controversial statements and incidents. However, these did little to hurt Ford's popularity. A pollster found that "one middle-aged woman explained that she would overlook personality failings in a mayor – as long as he didn’t waste her taxes". According to a staffer, these personal attacks were turned into advantages by the Ford campaign, who portrayed rivals making these personal attacks as trying to keep the gravy train going".
On May 6, 2010, Ford fired a worker on his campaign team for sending a twitter message. The tweet attacked fellow mayoral candidate George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
over recent comments about AIDS. The message read "Smitherman should spend less time attacking Ford for telling truth about AIDS, more time coming up with actual policies." The message relates to astatement Ford made in council in 2006 about AIDS being "very preventable. If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s the bottom line."
On August 17, 2010, The National Post reported that a computer user inside the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
company made edits to the Wikipedia article about Ford that his campaign considered "very serious libel" and copyright infringement. Bob Hepburn, a Toronto Star spokesman, denied responsibility for the edits. "The Toronto Star owns a couple of these IP portals and they come under Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, which is a broader thing. The Toronto Star itself has a separate portal," said Hepburn.
On August 26, 2010, the Toronto Star reported that an E-mail enquiry from a prospective voter was answered through the mechanism of a computerised form letter, and when filling out the form letter, someone apparently forgot to replace a bolded entry field in the second paragraph of the letter reading "Insert vague response on policy".
Ford strongly criticized a sole sourced contract signed by city council giving the owners of the Boardwalk Pub a 20 year lease extension to run the restaurant which is in Ashbridges Bay Park in the city's east end. On July 29, Ford was asked about the deal on a radio interview. He said "I truly believe they are, and that’s my personal opinion, and when I see all these donations, going through campaigns, it stinks to high heaven, we tried to re-open it, and they wouldn’t re-open it." On August 12, Ford was quoted as saying the deal "smacks of civic corruption." The owner, George Foulidis, said that he gave Ford a chance to apologize for the remarks but Ford refused to do so. Foulidis said he had no choice but to launch the lawsuit for $6 million. The criticism over the non-bid contract of the Boardwalk Pub was said to be a key factor in the landslide defeat of incumbent councilor Sandra Bussin
Sandra Bussin
Sandra Bussin was a politician in Toronto, Canada. She was a municipal councillor for Toronto City Council representing Ward 32, an area called the Beaches. From 2006 to 2010 she was Speaker of Toronto City Council.-Background:...
who supported the deal.
During the 2010 mayoral election Ford, in an interview with the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
seemed to imply that he graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Shortly after publication Ford's deputy communications director, Fraser Macdonald, issued a clarification that “While Rob did attend Carleton University for political science, he actually left school two credits short of graduating when his sister fell upon hard times”. In December 2010, it was reported that Ford left Carleton after only one year and Rob Ford said that he went on to York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
after leaving Carleton where he took six continuing education courses between 1990 and 1991.
Ford garnered controversy again in August 2010 after endorsing Pastor Wendell Brereton, who is running for city councillor in Ward 6. Pastor Brereton has suggested online that same-sex marriage could “dismantle” a “healthy democratic civilization.” Ford has said in regards to Pastor Brereton that “We’re together. We have the same thoughts." Ford also has noted that he opposes same-sex marriage. "I always have," he stated. "But if people want to, to each their own. I’m not worried about what people do in their private life. I look out for taxpayers’ money."
A Nanos Research poll, published on September 19, 2010, showed Ford doubling his lead from 12% to 24.5% over second-place candidate Smitherman (45.8% to 21.3% of decided voters). The Nanos Research Poll asked 1021 "likely voters" from September 14 and 16 with Rob Ford receiving 34.4% of likely voters, Smitherman 16%, Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone is a former Canadian politician, city councillor for Ward 19, one of two wards in Trinity—Spadina. He served as deputy mayor under David Miller from 2003 to 2010...
12% and undecided voters at 25%. A Global News Ipsos-Reid poll released Monday, September 27 showed Ford's lead diminishing at 28 per cent, with George Smitherman at 23 per cent, Joe Pantalone at 10 per cent, and Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson (who dropped from the race on September 28) at seven per cent each. On October 22., an EKOS Research Poll found Ford with an 8 per cent lead over second place Smitherman in decided voters; 43.9% to 35.6%.
Ford was elected mayor with 380,201 votes (47%) over Smitherman's 287,393 (35.6%) and Pantalone with 94,840 (11.7%). The voter turnout was around 52% of registered voters, the highest in Toronto's post-amalgamation history. Ford's 11% margin of victory was the largest for any incoming mayor in post-amalgamation history, roughly double that of Mel Lastman in 1997 and David Miller in 2003. While ward-by-ward electoral results showed that Ford had won all the suburbs compared to Smitherman who topped (old Toronto) districts, Ford also received significicant support (80000 votes) from the "Downtown 13” wards which made up over 20% of his total votes. By contrast, 60% of Smitherman's strongholds were located in Ward 27 and 28, which makes up his former provincial MPP riding.
Mayor
In his inauguration, Ford had Mississauga resident Don CherryDon Cherry
Don Cherry may refer to:* Don Cherry hockey player, coach, and commentator* Don Cherry , trumpeter* Don Cherry...
introduce him. Cherry garnered some controversy with his references to "left wing pinkos" and "kooks".
In May 2011, a three-member panel unanimously voted to proceed with an audit of the Mayor's campaign finances after election fraud complaints were made.
In June 2011, Ford yet again stirred up controversy when he refused to attend Toronto's annual Pride Parade or any Pride festivities in the week leading up to the Pride Parade breaking a more than decade long tradition of Toronto Mayors supporting the city's LBGQT community.
On September 16, 2011, a poll conducted by Toronto market research firm Forum Research revealed that only 27% of Toronto's residents indicated they would reelect Ford, were an election held around that date. A series of unpopular cuts proposed by Ford contributed to the downslide in his popularity. According to another Forum study, approximately 67% of Toronto residents approved of Ford's leadership during his first six months in office.
Political views
In 2002, Ford strenuously objected to the possibility that a homeless shelterHomeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
would open in his suburban Etobicoke ward. Later in the same year, he was quoted while berating an anti-poverty activist, "Do you have a job, sir? I'll give you a newspaper to find a job, like everyone else has to do between 9 and 5." In 2005, Ford told a homeless protestor, "I'm working. Why don't you get a job?"
About the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests
2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests
The 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests began one week ahead of the summit of the leaders of the G-20 on June 26 and 27 in Toronto. Protests included demonstrations, rallies, marches, as well as a destructive riot that broke out on June 26 which caused vandalism to several businesses in Downtown...
he said, “If I was the chief, I would have moved in Saturday afternoon and cleaned house” "I don't think there should be an inquiry or review... . I think our police force was too nice."
In March 2011, Ford said that he will not allow city funding for the 2011 Toronto Pride Parade if organizers allow the controversial group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is a Toronto-based grassroots LGBT group involved in the movement against what the organization see as Israeli apartheid and is a member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. The group has been involved in Israeli Apartheid Week as well as Pride Week...
(QuAIA) march again this year. “Taxpayers dollars should not go toward funding hate speech,” Ford said. In April 2011, QuAIA announced that it would not participate in the Toronto Pride Parade.
Ford criticized the city-owned Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Toronto Community Housing Corporation is a public housing agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is the second-largest housing provider in North America. TCHC is the amalgamation of three housing organizations in Toronto following the downloading of housing to municipalities by the provincial...
: "They treat people worse like animals . . . There needs to be a good cleaning at TCHC, and I’m the one to do it.” The same article claims Ford reports he has not "smoked pot in 25 years" and that he denies having told a woman at a public event to go to Iran to be "raped and shot".
Controversies
Ford and fellow councillor Giorgio MammolitiGiorgio Mammoliti
Giorgio Mammoliti is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada for Ward 7 York West, representing one of the two York West wards. He is Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee and a member of the mayor's executive committee. Previously, he served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
, who occupies a neighbouring ward, have often scrapped with each other and these exchanges have made headlines in local newspapers. Controversy erupted when several councillors reportedly heard Ford call Mammoliti "Gino boy" in the debate over the 2002 budget. Mammoliti filed a complaint for the ethnic slur. Mammoliti's son Michael filed his papers to run against Ford in the 2003 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
, but withdrew at the last moment. In March 2003, in a debate over the budget of the Toronto Zoo
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened August 15, 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word "Metropolitan" was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were amalgamated to form the...
, Ford called Mammoliti, who chairs the zoo board, a "snake" and a "weasel" in council. In September 2010, Mammoliti endorsed Ford for Mayor. Mammoliti has since become one of Ford's staunchest allies and supporters, even going as far as to defend Ford's policies to the media.
In 2006, allegations arose of his conduct at a Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
game. Two audience members alleged Ford instigated a shouting match. Security at the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
later ejected Ford from the venue. Initially, Ford denied involvement, claiming mistaken identity. The following day, Ford confirmed the allegations and announced his apology to the couple. He cited personal problems as a reason for his behaviour.
Further controversy erupted in a Toronto City Council session when Ford argued against the city spending $1.5 million on AIDS prevention programmes. Ford stated that "(AIDS) is very preventable," and that "if you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn't get AIDS probably, that's bottom line." With respect to the increasing rates of women contracting the disease, Ford said; "How are women getting it? Maybe they are sleeping with bisexual men." During a June 2005 council debate, Ford said, "I don't understand a transgender," asking "is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy?"
Again sparking controversy during a March 2008 debate at City Hall, Ford said, "Those Oriental people
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
work like dogs. They work their hearts out ... that's why they're successful in life. ... I'm telling you, Oriental people, they're slowly taking over, because there's no excuses for them. They're hard, hard workers." He drew criticism for those remarks from Mayor David Miller
David Miller (Canadian politician)
David Raymond Miller is a Canadian politician. He was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto and the second since the 1998 amalgamation. He was elected to the position in 2003 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2006 for a four-year term...
, budget chief Shelley Carroll
Shelley Carroll
Shelley Carroll is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. She represents Ward 33 Don Valley East, one of the two Don Valley East municipal wards. She was formerly the Chair of the City's Budget Committee.-Background:...
and other councillors.
In 1999, Ford was arrested in Miami for driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
(DUI) and marijuana possession charges. According to the statement recorded by the arresting officer, Ford was acting nervous, had blood shot eyes and had "a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath". Ford threw his hands up in the air and told the police officer, "Go ahead, take me to jail." Until he was questioned by reporters, Ford said that the marijuana charge had "completely, totally slipped my mind" because the more serious issue during that arrest was the DUI charge. Ford initially denied the DUI charge, claiming instead he was arrested because he "refused to give a breath sample".
On October 24, 2011, Ford was confronted at his home by Mary Walsh, a cast member of the satirical show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
, in costume as her character Marg Delahunty. Walsh has frequently conducted "ambush" interviews of Canadian politicians as this character, a housewife who dresses in an outfit inspired by Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
. Ford called 911
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
twice, reportedly shouting at the dispatcher "You … bitches! Don't you fucking know? I'm Rob fucking Ford, the mayor of this city!" Ford denied directing "foul and derogatory comments" at the dispatcher but apologized for his use of profanity. Toronto police Chief Bill Blair released a statement shortly afterwards stating that he had reviewed three emergency calls involving the mayor and that their content had been 'misrepresented'. According to the chief, the word 'bitches' was never used nor did the mayor describe himself as originally claimed.