Posts Tagged ‘mayor rob ford’

Did Karen Stintz just jump into the 2014 mayor’s race?

- April 24th, 2013

Karen Stintz

“The mayor had an obligation to bring it to council for full debate. I don’t believe he showed leadership in this matter and I don’t believe he has a vision for transit and I don’t believe he has a vision for this city and I think that’s unfortunate.” 

- TTC chair Karen Stintz reacting Wednesday to Mayor Rob Ford’s refusal to bring the transit revenue tools report to council ASAP (story here).

With language like that it sure sounds like she’s gearing up to run against Ford in 2014. So far, Stintz has been touted as a possible mayoral candidate but has yet to throw her hat in the ring.

But clearly the Fords – based on their language about Stintz in the recent past – are already expecting her to jump in the race (story here).

Stay tuned.

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Categories: General | 2 comments

The casino vote is all or nothing: Doug Ford

- April 18th, 2013

Doug Ford

The Fords will know when to fold ‘em when it comes to a Toronto casino.

Councillor Doug Ford made it clear Thursday if city council rejects a downtown casino in the next few weeks, Mayor Rob Ford’s administration will walk away from the issue.

“We’re going to try (to win the vote),” Ford said, looking ahead at what appears to be an uphill battle for the pro-casino forces at council.

But Ford stressed if council rejects pushing ahead on a downtown casino the mayor won’t campaign in 2014 on reopening the issue.

“Once it is done, it is done,” Ford said. “We move on, continue running the city and just move on.

“If the councillors don’t want it, very simple, we aren’t going to do it.”

Regardless of what side you are on in the casino debate, Ford’s comments make the stakes of the looming council vote that much higher.

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Does Mayor Rob Ford have a new best friend on council?

- April 17th, 2013

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Mayor Rob Ford (right) and Councillor Gary Crawford paint over graffiti on Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Mayor Rob Ford was out in Scarborough again Wednesday for another media event.

It was the second time in a week Ford has made his way out to the suburb for a photo-op – last week he was there to kick-off road construction season while this week he was talking about tackling graffiti and his community clean-up.

The event is also Ford’s second time in Councillor Gary Crawford’s ward. The rookie councillor is one of the newest members of Ford’s executive committee and has been featured prominently in both press events.

So the logical question came up during Wednesday’s press conference: Is Gary Crawford one of the mayor’s new best friends?

“I’ve always supported Councillor Crawford from the first day I met him,” Ford said. “He’s honest, hard-working and that’s the type of politicians I support – people that are straightforward and will look at finding efficiences which he’s done. And he’s been a great supporter of our team and I want to thank him.”

Ford went on to laud Scarborough – a part of the city where he fared very well at the polls back in 2010.

“I’ve always been out in Scarborough. I love the people of Scarborough.”

Shortly after that answer, someone who clearly was a card-carrying member of Ford Nation returned the love.

“Mayor Ford, you’re the best,” an unidentified driver shouted from his pick-up truck.

“Thank you,” Ford shouted back.

Crawford said he’s “very appreciative” Ford is coming out to Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest and “giving recognition to the work that has been happening.”

“I’ve known the mayor for the last couple of years, I am on the executive and I do have more of an opportunity maybe to have chats with him and I’ve been talking him up about the importance of Kingston Rd.,” he said.

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Mayor Rob Ford wants the province to go to the polls

- April 3rd, 2013

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Mayor Rob Ford at City Hall on April 3, 2013 (Dave Abel, Toronto Sun)

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford thinks Ontario should go to the polls this May.

Ford said Wednesday there should “absolutely” be a provincial election this spring.

“I’m in favour of having a provincial election,” he said. “I think people want to go to the polls and send a message.”

The mayor said “there could be a lot of interesting issues” the province could debate during an election.

Ford’s comments come as his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, is openly musing (again) about running for the provincial Progressive Conservatives and daring Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to call a May election (story here).

 

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Garrison Ball committee statement on Mayor Rob Ford

- March 26th, 2013

In the wake of the story of Mayor Rob Ford allegedly being asked to leave the Garrison Ball, six members of the event committee released this signed statement Tuesday:

March 26, 2013

To whom it may concern:

Re: Toronto Star Article regarding Mayor Rob Ford dated March 26, 2013

As a civilian member of the volunteer organizing committee of the 2013 Toronto Garrison Ball, I
can confirm that I did not ask Rob Ford, Mayor of Toronto, to leave the event on February 23,
2013 for any reason. To my knowledge, no member of the event’s organizing committee,
including Councillor Paul Ainslie, directed the Mayor to leave the event that night.

The evening of February 23rd was a tremendous opportunity to join so many of the men and
women who have served our Nation so honourably at home and abroad. In the past twelve
months alone, Toronto-area soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have been asked to step in
harm’s way in such places as Afghanistan, the Caribbean Sea, Libya, Mali, the Pacific, Sierra
Leone, and off the coast of Somalia.

The evening built bridges within the community, while raising needed funds for the Wounded
Warriors, a non-profit organization that helps Canadian Forces members who have been
wounded or injured in their service to Canada. As we approach the 200th anniversary of the
Battle of York in April 2013, none of us should ever forget that Canada remains free to this day
due to the service and sacrifice of so many, both present and past.

Yours sincerely,
Darrell Bricker, Committee Member

Lyndsey Fisk-Calhoun, Committee Member

Maureen Harquail, Committee Member

Caroline Mulroney Lapham, Committee Co-Chair

Mark McQueen, Committee Co-Chair

John Wright, Committee Member

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Categories: General | 9 comments

Fishy news out of Mayor Rob Ford’s office

- March 18th, 2013

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The fish tank inside the staff area of Mayor Rob Ford’s office at City Hall

Mayor Rob Ford’s office is short a fish.

One of the goldfish in the fish tank inside the mayor’s office staff area died last week. The aquarium is a familiar sight to anyone walking around the second floor of City Hall.

I’m told the fish that was found floating in the tank was named Olivia after former mayor’s office staffer Olivia Gondek.

There is also a fish named Earl – after Ford’s deputy chief of staff Earl Provost – but he’s still swimming around.

No word yet if Ford has plans to replace the lost fish.

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Categories: General | 7 comments

When will Premier Kathleen Wynne sit down with Mayor Rob Ford?

- March 14th, 2013

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mayor Rob Ford

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford have yet to have a formal meeting.

The provincial Liberal leader has been in charge for more than a month now and the two leaders are only 2 km apart so the lack of a meeting seems rather odd.

Wynne brushed off the fact she’s yet to have a face-to-face with Ford during a press conference which he also attended Wednesday.

“We’ve had two conversations I think,” she said.

“There is a plan to get together, it is a matter of dueling calendars but when we have needed to talk to each other we have each other’s phone numbers.”

At Wednesday’s press conference it was clear again Ford and Wynne still disagree on the need to have new taxes or tolls to fund transit (story here).

That disagreement could make for an interesting meeting … if it ever happens.

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Mayor Rob Ford is not on reddit

- March 12th, 2013

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Mayor Rob Ford at Newstalk 1010 on Sunday, March 10, 2013 (photo by Michael Peake/Toronto Sun)

A Mayor Rob Ford reddit account (link here) caught a lot of people’s attention recently.

While Ford’s office maintains a Facebook and Twitter page, a reddit account would be a new online medium for the embattled mayor. The account has generated a fair number of comments from reddit users asking serious questions about the mayor’s policies along with the Internet’s usual jokes and jibes.

But Ford’s spokesman confirmed Tuesday the reddit page isn’t an official account.

“It’s not ours,” press secretary George Christopoulos told the Sun.

“That post is not from the mayor’s office.”

It’s probably not Ford’s biggest problem right now (story on Sarah Thomson’s allegations here) but it is another weird story to roll out of this mayor’s City Hall.

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Mayor Rob Ford on “Ass-Gate” and Sarah Thomson

- March 10th, 2013

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Here’s what Mayor Rob Ford said Sunday on Newstalk 1010 about Sarah Thomson’s allegations (full story here) that he groped her last week at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee gala:

“I don’t even want to waste my time anymore on this. This is not true.

Every single person there, I want to thank the Richmond Hill councillors for coming forward and saying it was a set-up.

You know what’s funny there was 400, I must’ve taken 500 pictures and there was never an issue with anyone else except for this lady that I’ve, in my personal opinion, I’ve always said I don’t know if she’s playing with a full deck from the first time I met her.

I told her that, that night. She goes ‘You’re not supporting my 1% (sales tax idea to fund transit).’ And I said, ‘No, you’re crazy. Get out of here.’ And that’s pretty well how it went.

I had a great time (Thursday night). It was a lot of fun and if people want to make up stories, that’s their prerogative and leave it at that.”

Thomson responded to Ford’s radio remarks with this statement (posted here). 

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Sarah Thomson fires back at Mayor Rob Ford

- March 10th, 2013

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Mayor Rob Ford went on the radio Sunday and questioned whether Sarah Thomson is “playing with a full deck” (full story). Thomson responded with a statement Sunday night.

Here’s Thomson’s full statement:

Statement from Sarah Thomson, March 10, 2013

Early Friday morning, I posted a photo to my Facebook and reported that Mayor Rob Ford made suggestive comments and groped me at a CJPAC party.

Since then, the Mayor, his supporters and conservative media agencies have denied my claims, impugned my character and attacked my credibility.

I did not make these accusations lightly. I admit I did not handle the press perfectly, but I had just gone through a very rattling experience.

Over the past few days people have accused me of hating the Mayor and this I must repeat is not the case. I have always found him to be respectful, somewhat shy, but professional. While things have been
competitive between us, I have always appreciated his stand on the need for subway expansion.

I am not the kind of woman who sees chauvinism everywhere or believes in reckless denunciations. But Mayor Ford was behaving inappropriately, and there was clearly something wrong with him during the CJPAC event.

He must be discouraged from over indulging to the point where he is groping or making lewd comments, and women should not put up with it when it happens. The Mayor was outrageous, he acted horribly, and I won’t be intimidated by the whitewashing he has tried so hard to generate.

Decades ago powerful men who sexually assaulted women would call them ”hysterical,” or “crazy” to debase their credibility. It pushed many assaulted women into silence. Today Mayor Ford stated that he
wondered if I was “playing with a full deck” try to discredit me.  He will not push me into silence and I hope his accusations do not re-ignite the old fears that once silenced women.

We need an ongoing dialogue to ensure respect for women in the workplace and to create an inclusive and safe society for all.

Unlike the Mayor, I do not have a history of lying about my behaviour. Mayor Ford has lied publicly numerous times. He denied the drunken incident where he verbally assaulted a Durham couple during a hockey game but later admitted to it. And During 2010 civic election campaign he denied being arrested for pot possession in Florida and then admitted it and another DUI charge.

The Mayor has a history of denial but usually owns up to his mistakes once the facts become overwhelming and I expect that he will eventually own up to this one.

–30–

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Categories: General | 3 comments

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