How much does Mayor Rob Ford hate Toronto’s 5-cent bag fee? This much:
“It bothers me. When I go into a store and they charge me 5-cents, I will not support that. I do not shop at stores that charge me 5-cents for a bag.”
- Mayor Rob Ford after voting to put the “final nail in the coffin” of Toronto’s 5-cent bag fee (story here)
“My zodiac sign, I was born in 1969, is the rooster. So, I love astrology. I’ve followed it my whole life and I’m sure everybody knows their sign and often reads their horoscope.”
- Mayor Rob Ford in his speech at the unveilling of Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac Heads/Circle of Animals in Nathan Phillips Square on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
Councillor Jaye Robinson was dropped from Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee late Monday (story here).
Here is the speech she delivered to the media Tuesday morning on her firing:
GOOD MORNING
I CAME TO CITY HALL TO BUILD ON TORONTO’S INCREDIBLE SUCCESS, TO GET DOWN TO WORK AND TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD
AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE DONE AS A MODERATE, INDEPENDENT VOICE ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AGENDA
BUT I HAVE CONSISTENTLY SPOKEN OUT ON KEY ISSUES THAT MATTERED TO THE FUTURE OF THE CITY
FROM THE PORTLANDS, TO LIBRARY CUTS, TO A DOWNTOWN CASINO – I HAVE DISAGREED WITH THE MAYOR, HONESTLY, OPENLY AND TRANSPARENTLY
RECENTLY I suggested that the Mayor should clearly, definitively and without ambiguity address the allegations that have now been circulating for more than 3 weeks.
It was hoped this would, once and for all put an end to the distractions that continue to draw attention away from important city issues.
I went on to say if the Mayor is unwilling or unable to definitively address the allegations then he should consider taking a TEMPORARY leave of absence until such time as THESE ISSUES are resolved allowing the rest of the city to get on with its business without distraction.
I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE A CLEAR AND ACCOUNTABLE APPROACH IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY.
I HAVE WORKED FOR COMPROMISE – OPENLY AND BEHIND THE SCENES – WHERE OTHERS COULDN’T SEE IT OR WEREN’T INTERESTED
AND I WILL CONTINUE TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT WHEN THE SITUATION DEMANDS
EVERY DECISION MAKING BODY NEEDS DISAGREEMENT – IT ALLOWS FOR THE KIND OF DEBATE THAT LEADS TO GOOD DECISIONS AND STRONG LEADERSHIP.
JUST SIX MONTHS AGO I WAS APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND RECREATION COMMITTEE AND I TOOK ON THIS ROLE WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM AND CONVICTION
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NO LONGER SEEMS TO HAVE ROOM FOR A DIVERSITY OF VOICES AND POINTS OF VIEW
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CAN NO LONGER TOLERATE REASONABLE, INFORMED DISAGREEMENT
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT DIVISIVE AND POLARIZING ATTITUDES ARE DIVIDING OUR CITY AND ALIENATING COMMUNITIES
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE MAYOR DID NOT HAVE THE COURTESY OR RESPECT TO REMOVE ME FROM EXECUTIVE IN PERSON, FACE TO FACE
NEVERTHELESS
I AM PROUD OF MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND RECREATION COMMITTEE
I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A STRONG, INDEPENDENT VOICE AT CITY COUNCIL. THERE IS MUCH WORK TO DO AND THERE ARE MANY LEADERS AT CITY HALL THAT ARE READY TO STEP UP
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON COUNCIL FROM ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM TO MOVE THE CITY’S AGENDA FORWARD
I AM HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS
Mayor Rob Ford looks at a hole in the bathroom ceiling of a TCHC unit on The East Mall on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 (Don Peat/Toronto Sun)
Most Toronto Community Housing residents were glad to see Mayor Rob Ford Tuesday as he toured their building and urged staff to get repair work underway.
As for the crack cocaine scandal that has been dogging the mayor for almost three weeks, most residents the Sun talked to were willing to shrug off the allegations.
Stacey (who wouldn’t give her last name) threw her hands up when asked about Ford’s troubles as he inspected the second floor of her apartment with her mom.
“I don’t take that to heart because he’s, from what I remember he’s an old-timer from around here … not a big fan but hey, he’s human. You know what I mean? I don’t have any bad feelings towards him,” she said.
One woman who wouldn’t give her name said she’s “honoured” to have Ford at the building.
“This shows that he cares for people like me that don’t have nobody,” she said.
As for Ford’s crack controversy, the woman said “they should give him a break.
“Everybody is bound to make mistakes right?” she said. “I don’t think he might do it but even if he does, it is his own personal business – it is none of our business.”
Here’s the last direct order Mark Towhey sent out to staff in Mayor Rob Ford’s office.
Towhey was Mayor Rob Ford’s chief of staff until he was fired on May 23 amid the mayor’s ongoing crack cocaine scandal.
The email went out to mayor’s office staff late Wednesday, May 22, with the subject line, “Direct order.”
“Do not answer calls from the mayor tonight,” Towhey tells staff. “Take the night off.
“Will explain in the AM. Earl (Provost), George (Christopoulos), David (Price) call me when you can.”
The next day, Towhey was formally fired by Ford and walked out of City Hall by security (story here).
May 22 was an interesting day in the Ford scandal – the mayor was dumped as head coach of the Don Bosco football team that day. Sources familiar with the situation say Ford wanted mayor’s office staff to help organize a pizza party for his football players at his house that night, something Towhey balked at. Also a source has said Towhey talked the mayor out of trying to take back all the football equipment he purchased for the high school (on his radio show, Ford flatly denied this and has said the equipment is a donation to the school).
The day after Towhey was axed, the Sun and several other media outlets reported the firing centred around Ford rejecting his chief of staff’s advice to go to rehab as the only way to deal with the continuing controversy (story here).
It isn’t clear if Ford was aware of this direct order when he fired Towhey.
Regardless of what was behind Towhey asking staff not to answer the mayor’s calls, it’s an interesting state of affairs when a mayor’s chief of staff has to warn staff in the same office not to take calls from the mayor himself.
Mayor Rob Ford sent his quasi-weekly mass email to supporters Saturday.
The email, called “Message from Mayor Ford”, didn’t mention the crack cocaine scandal swirling around the mayor and tries to convey, it’s business as usual message at City Hall.
Here’s the full email blast:
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“I have Ford fatigue. Every time I open the paper it is something to do with our mayor and not usually in a good light. We did great stuff at audit committee this morning and that’s not being profiled in the media. I wish the great things we were doing at City Hall were profiled more.”
- Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon on the ongoing Mayor Rob Ford crack scandal.
Don Peat is the City Hall bureau chief for the Toronto Sun. He covers municipal affairs at Toronto City Hall, a beat that has him writing about everything from garbage to transit to taxes to multimillion-dollar spending scandals.
Follow @reporterdonpeat
