Category: Rob Ford

Why Ford Is Still the Man to Beat

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

Apparently, the reports of Rob Ford’s political demise have been greatly exaggerated.

I thought that when Ford confessed to having smoked crack cocaine, he would be forced out undemocratically by Toronto City council or Ontario Liberal Premier Wynne.

Four Toronto newspapers, including the National Post and Toronto Sun, all called for Ford to resign.

Ford was the butt of jokes on every late night American comedy show from Stewart to Letterman. Much to the mortification of some overly-sensitive Torontonians.

So Toronto’s four great newspapers have collectively spoken. Ford must go.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the “powerful Toronto media” trying to ride Ford out of town on a GO Train rail.

As a result of these papers raging against Ford, Ford’s support increased by about 5 points to about 44% approval.

I am not sure what is declining faster — these papers’ circulation numbers or their rapidly declining influence on public affairs.

What is patently clear is that in these papers’ rush to judgment, they don’t understand Ford’s populist appeal.

And long after their newspapers are used to line the city’s cat litters, they still will not get it.

I think all those years of drinking fancy tea at David’s Teas, sipping Almond Milk at Whole Foods and eating organic beef from Rowe Farms, where everybody knows your cow’s name, may be the cause.

I don’t think even 30 days of rehab in Scarborough will do the trick.

But I will try one more time to explain the populist and enduring appeal of the Ford phenomenon.

I have known and met many members of Ford Nation in the last few years. I have met them at coffee shops, restaurants and in their homes. I have met them at Ford Fests.

The bulk of Ford’s support is in the cities of Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough.

Many Ford supporters are hard-working lower-income and middle-income families who have immigrated to Toronto from all corners of the world: Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South America, just to name a few.

Rob Ford, the white Waspy guy from a wealthy business family, appeals to all these different peoples. He also appeals to a lot of old line white and ethnic Toronto families.

They love and support Rob Ford. Their support is deep, wide, visceral and unbreakable. They will stick by Ford even if he is convicted of a criminal offence.

At these Ford Fests, Ford is treated like a racial rock star. Ninety percent of his people are non-white. They have come to see Ford, not for the free beer and hot dogs. But to be photographed with Ford. To hear his simple message, of saving their tax dollars. And stopping the ‘gravy train” of free-spending urban elites. And of course, “Subways, subways, subways!” The battle cry of these suburbanites who for too long had been ignored by the lefty Millerites at City Hall.

I have covered Canadian and American politics since the 1970s . Ford’s immigrant non-white supporters revere Ford as if he was a combination Bobby Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
It has to been seen, to be believed.

For some strange reason this Ford character relates to and understands these people.Ford understands that his supporters are worried about making their rental payments, their mortgage payments, buying groceries for their families and ensuring their children are properly educated. They are worried about their jobs and whether good jobs will be available for their children in the future.

They work very hard for their money, and they resent that their tax dollars, in the past, paid for unnecessary and very expensive vanity projects of Mayor Miller and his left wing acolytes on council.

These people resented these councillors flying all over Canada and the world on their dime. They resented these councillors’ over-inflated office budgets. They resented that Miller treated city hall as an employment agency for his union buddies. Miller’s city hall granted union members jobs for life with overly expensive pensions. Such financial benefits were paid for by Ford’s supporters, on one hand, but were out of their reach, on the other hand.

Ford supporters also resented that Mayor Miller and his lefty acolytes apparently spent most of their time and their taxpayer money, trying to “save the whales,” that is, promoting and imposing policies these suburbanites believed were irrelevant to their own daily needs and wants. For example, a highly subsidized urban bike program, anti-car, city bike lane proposals, penalties on plastic bags, vegetable gardens on city’s roofs, all to save the planet.

To his credit, Ford delivered on his campaign promises. During Ford’s first three years in office, he gained control of the city budget. He reduced the rate of tax increases from Miller time. He tamed the unions and implemented the partial privatization of some garbage city services. He also drastically reduced his own mayor’s office budget and the budgets of all 44 city councillors at considerable annual savings. And he scored an unusual political coup by securing tri-level financial support for the expansion of the much-needed and much-desired Scarborough subway.

Ironically, the full-on media onslaught against Ford, this over the top Ford hate-fest, has turned a mirror on his Old Toronto critics. And exposed them as elitist, self-centred, power-hungry, undemocratic, condescending, ignorant and insensitive.

Any politician who courts Ford’s Old Toronto critics is no friend of Ford Nation.

Rob Ford will still be the person to beat in next year’s municipal election.

Rob Ford Is Not Obligated to Resign — Nor Should He

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

Oct. 31 was certainly a wild day in Toronto City Hall.

Reporters leaping up and down on the Mayor’s private driveway like jackals.

Disclosures of secret meetings between the Mayor and his buddy Lisi. Revelations about the lost video.

The usual lefty suspects on City council calling for Ford’s head on a platter. And urging the Mayor out of faux concern for his health to resign, to step aside, and to commit political hara-kiri in the City Hall lobby.

And of course, these councillors were claiming, for the good of the city, that the city should not be distracted by the circus, surrounding the Mayor.

A circus, ironically partially created and fuelled by these very same Ford opponents competing with each other before the cameras to denounce Ford. And by those very same reporters cornering Ford and Ford opponents for juicy anti-Ford quotes.

The reporters are trying to do their jobs. They’re trying to get to the truth. Report dirt on Ford and sell newspapers. I get that. But who is ultimately responsible for the circus at City Hall? Who is really distracting whom?

Ford is trying to do City business. Toronto councillors are more interested in Ford’s removal than in doing their jobs for which they were elected. The press appears to prefer sensationalism to the reporting on the more important, but mundane problems of Toronto residents — i.e. transit, social housing and infrastructure.

For Ford Nation, it was just not another Thursday.

I cannot speak for Ford Nation. But I do know some Ford Nation members who are not thrilled by the recent revelation that there does exist a video in which Mayor Ford is allegedly smoking a substance through a crack pipe.

According to Dennis Morris, Ford’s counsel, Ford has not technically lied, when he stated there was no video in which he was smoking crack cocaine. The assumption is that the substance was tobacco or pot. To date, Chief Blair has not stated that Ford will be charged on the basis of the video of Ford and the pipe.

This video may not be disclosed to the public until the trial of Mr. Lisi, which may be another 1 to 2 years.

Ford may never be charged.

The contents of the “pipe” in the video, may never be learned.

Also many Ford Nation members are not thrilled by the numerous photos and evidence of Ford and Lisi having secret meetings and exchanging mysterious packets.

However, once again, no charges have been laid as a result of this information. And no charges may ever be laid against Mayor Ford.

Even if charges were laid against Mayor Ford, he cannot be removed from office unless a criminal conviction is imposed upon him.

Legally, Ford can remain as Mayor to the end of his term. He is not legally obligated to resign or step aside. Notwithstanding Ford’s messy personal life and all his mishegas (craziness), Ford Nation still stands by their man. His fiercely loyal supporters strongly identify with their unsinkable mayor. And they hate the Toronto SWAGs(elites) who want Ford gone and wish to do undemocratically what they failed to do democratically. Hence his approval rating has increased.

The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and the Toronto Sun have called for Ford to resign, for the good of the City.

The Sun believes that “he is a liability to his own agenda of fiscal conservatism, because the longer he stays in office, the more City Hall will become a circus preoccupied with the mayor’s personal issues”.

The Post argues, “Ford’s personal life is now so thoroughly beset by crisis that the people of Toronto cannot count on him to fairly represent them and give his duties the time and consideration they require.”

Marcus Gee of the Globe maintains “the noise over this shabby business (Thursday’s revelations)… will drown out everything he tries to do.

The Star argues, referring to the video, “the sight of Ford in this footage… will drag the mayor’s office to new depths of degradation.”

In summary, the press argues that the sight of Ford in the video, the surrounding circus, crisis and noise will render Ford incapable of doing his job and thus justify his voluntary resignation.

With respect, I beg to differ.

Rob Ford has the rare ability to focus and execute on his political/public agenda, notwithstanding the messiness of his personal life. During the first three years of Ford’s term, he was hit with numerous law suits, investigations, and judicial inquiries. A lesser man would have cracked under the pressure.

Notwithstanding these pressures, Ford has delivered on his promises. He has achieved significant tax savings for taxpayers through: successful union negotiations; contracting out garbage services; killing an unpopular vehicle registration fee; reducing councillors and his office budgets.

He has also gained control of city spending and reduced the rate of taxation well below the Miller years.

Ford also secured historic tri-level funding for the Scarborough subway even while under criminal investigation. Clearly, Ford has an uncanny ability to compartmentalize.

Ford reminds me of a once obscure Arkansas governor, who shared with Ford a love of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was beset, both as a governor and as the president of the United States, by personal scandals, extra-marital affairs, judicial inquiries, shady financial transactions, associations with sleazy characters and impeachment proceedings. But Clinton succeeded through his personal crises as has Ford. And look at Bill Clinton now.

My point is that Ford thrives in these crises. He is a formidable street fighter. If Toronto city councilors prefer preening for the press and concentrating on Ford’s personal issues, rather than dealing with the real issues that affect Toronto residents, then they are not acting in the best interests of Toronto for which they were elected. And come next election, those councillors may be in for a rude awakening.

Doug Holyday Will Win Ontario Byelection, and It’s all Thanks to Rob Ford

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

When Premier Wynne called five by-elections on August 1, 2013, I am sure she thought that the Ontario Liberals would easily hold onto the provincial seats held by former cabinet ministers Laurel Broten in Etobicoke-Lakeshore and Margarett Best in the Scarborough-Guildwood riding.

They were formerly safe Liberal provincial seats.

But Wynne and the Liberals were not prepared for the sudden emergence of well-known Tory city councillor and Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday as an Etobicoke opponent to their hand-picked Liberal nominee, Peter Milczyn.

Also, Wynne was not prepared for the re-emergence of Mayor Rob Ford as a major political force in his home area of Etobicoke and in Scarborough, where he is also strangely and very strongly admired and supported.

Mayor Ford has been actively canvassing with Doug Holyday and Tory leader Tim Hudak in Etobicoke and in Scarborough with Tory candidate Ken Kirupa.

And Ford’s involvement has clearly thrown the races wide open and has caught the Liberals scrambling to respond to the Ford charge.

You know the Liberals are in trouble in Etobicoke — and even in formerly secure Scarborough — when Transport Minister Murray feels the bizarre need to publicly criticize Mayor Ford for campaigning for the Tories in both ridings.

I am sorry, Glen. Last time I looked, Mayor Rob Ford was not on the ballot for these by-elections.

Nonetheless, the blowhard Murray has been publicly criticizing Mayor Ford on the campaign trail, as follows:

“How can you claim to be a subway champion when you’ve been Rob Ford for three years and you haven’t come up with five cents for a subway investment?” he said outside Queen’s Park Wednesday.

“With the mayor, it’s all talk, talk, talk about subways. No one’s writing a cheque. The only government that’s writing a cheque is the Liberals.”

Well, Glen, you pompous politico, the Liberals are not writing cheques so quickly for a Scarborough subway, either.

In fact just a few days ago, you reneged on the Liberals’ promise to pay $1.8 billion for the Scarborough subway and now you are only promising $1.4 billion.

Also, these subway funds are not Liberal funds. They are Ontario taxpayers’ hard-earned money. That the Liberals have been squandering for over 10 years, especially recently, in paying off greedy American hedge funds and friendly gas plant operators to the tune of nearly $700 million big ones.

When his attacks on Ford did not appear to be working, Murray fell back on going after former Tory Premier Mike Harris, stopping subway construction of the Eglinton line over 10 years ago.

Another typical Liberal move. When all else fails, play the “crash and burn” Mike Harris card.

As Murray publicly ranted and raved:

“The difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives is: we actually fund subways, they don’t. They fill them in,” he said. “There is no lack of subway champions. We have got subway champions coming out our wazoo in this city and this province. What we’re missing is subway funders.”

This Harris attack may have worked in the past. This tactic may have fooled the Ontario electorate two or three times in the past when stated by Dalton McGuinty. But now McGuinty is disgraced and in hiding. His reputation and legacy, in tatters.

Also, this Harris tactic has become pathetically old and feeble. The Liberals have their own scandals to overcome; OLG, Ornge, cancellation of gas plants, cover up of gas plant cancellations, deletion of documents and emails. And now undue political influence upon the quasi-judicial Speaker of the House.

But Murray, was still not finished with Ford.

He also argued that it was “bizarre” and “unprecedented” for Mr. Ford to intervene in a provincial race.

“It is more apparent to me day by day that Team Hudak is quickly being swallowed up by Team Ford,” he said.

“We now have a mayor who has decided to use Mr. Holyday’s candidacy as a referendum, and to insert himself and what would normally be a non-partisan office in an incredibly partisan way.”

Well, cry me a Don River, Glen.

I am truly shocked. Mayor Ford is playing politics. He is acting like a politician and campaigning for his friends.

I warned Premier Wynne in a previous Huff Post article, that she should put a muzzle on Murray.

This poor excuse for an Ontario politician. This overweight lightweight. This embarrassingly loose, loose cannon is actually making the case for Ford and for the Tory candidates Holyday and Kirupa, for whom Ford is actively campaigning.

By going after Ford, Glen Murray has given Ford a great public platform.

He has served up to Ford some very soft political pitches.

And once again, Ford, the Great Bambino, hit Murray’s pitches into the upper bleachers, when Ford compared the Liberals to criminals when he stated publicly at Kirupa’s headquarters:

“If you say you want to go and vote Liberal, then you’re basically just giving a bank robber another gun and saying ‘go rob another bank,'” he said.

A little harsh. A little simplistic. But that is the defining political shot heard throughout the campaign trail in Etobicoke and Scarborough.

I am going all in, sports fans. Balls against the wall.

I am predicting a victory for Holyday in Etobicoke and a huge upset victory for the Tories in Scarborough.

And the Tories can thank Rob Ford, and of course, the hapless Glen Murray.

Toronto’s New Hot Power Couple: Steve and Rob

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford, Stephen Harper

I have not seen the leftist/liberal Toronto press in such a tizzy since the Biebs was caught on Yorkville smooching with his main squeeze, Selena Gomez.

Or when Brad and Angelina graced the red carpet at TIFF.

Because folks, we have a new hot couple in town.

Move over Brangelina!

Say hello to our latest power couple, Steve Harper and Rob Ford. Or “Reeve”. That has a nice political ring to it.

(Note, the Hollywood and Toronto press like to brand starlet combos by mashing together their first names. We all remember the ill-fated “Bennnifer”- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Actually, my two favorite TV couplings were Gossip Girl’s “Dair”, Dan and Blair and “Chair”, Chuck and Blair. But I digress.)

In a recent Toronto Star column, the normally staid columnist Tim Harper, was squealing like a starry-eyed political groupie. He breathlessly reported that Prime Minister Harper and Toronto Mayor Ford were spotted in Toronto. Together in public, embracing, for the first time, in a long time. OMG!

Apparently, this past weekend Prime Minister Harper was in Toronto.
And Harper threw political caution to the winds, by appearing in a photo shoot with the roguish Mayor Ford to announce that he will be kicking in $660 million to help fund Ford’s new Scarborough Subway.

In the past, Ford, due to the alleged “crack video”, was considered “persona not grata” by both federal and provincial Conservatives.

But apparently no longer.

The political bromance between Steve and Rob has gone public.

The Star’s Tim Harper obviously, auditioning for a gig at “People” or “US” magazines, accurately described the physical and stylistic differences of this odd couple.

“There’s our buttoned-down prime minister, the risk averse, purveyor of the bland, Stephen Harper. And there’s Toronto’s dishevelled, risk-happy, erratic mayor, Rob Ford. Stylistically, they are polar opposites.

Harper would treat a meeting with a voter in an unscripted moment as a crisis. Ford ditches his aides and wanders into crowds at a Saturday night street festival on the Danforth.

Harper works hard to avoid over exposure. Ford has his own open line show.

The prime minister seeks political advantage in a squeaky clean image, proudly denying marijuana use in his younger years while Ford laughs, and, without missing a beat, agrees he smoked “a lot.”

But underneath these superficial differences, these two amigos, share a lot more than a mutual love of bass fishing.

Since Ottawa and Toronto political life, is like high school, except with money and bigger stakes, let me explain the mutual attraction of these two political bedfellows.

Stephen Harper is your typical very brainy, intense, serious, straight “A” High School Student Council President. He is not very well-liked personally. But the students respect him and they believe he can get stuff done.

Rob Ford, on the other hand, is your beer-drinking, pot smoking, happy go lucky “C” student who is Captain of the Varsity Football team. Rob throws the best parties at the school. He is literally and figuratively a “big man on campus.” Most everybody loves Rob. Rob has a big heart. He has his own unique type of charisma and an intense following of friends and supporters who will stick by Rob, no matter how many times he screws up.

Stephen is a cold calculating political strategist. By his own admission, he is not very strong in the charisma department. In his next re-election campaign, he will be facing his most formidable opponent.

The best-looking and, hottest guy at the school. And the most popular student, at least with the female students and the elite, intellectual “in” crowd. We are referring of course, to the hip, pot-toking Justin, with the great wavy hair and tight jeans. The problem with Justin, is that though he is great-looking, he is a bit of an airhead.

Stephen needs Rob and his own band of friends and supporters. Stephen also hopes that some of Rob’s natural charisma and personal popularity may rub off on Stephen, making him looser, more interesting, and more approachable. Steve is hoping Rob will complete him.

On the other hand, Stephen’s friendship and support, brings Rob a lot of credibility and respect, and significant financial and organizational resources, that Rob will need when he runs for elected office himself.

Stephen also believes that with Rob, the two of them can go after the vast silent majority of the students, (the geeks, the freaks, the studious new immigrant students, the ESL types and the Goths).

Who are neither the establishment, the intellectual elite or the jocks and their girlfriends. But who will determine the difference between winning and losing, on election day.

The Steve and Rob Bromance. It looks like a match made in political heaven.

Rob Ford is Getting $660M for a Scarborough Subway. Who’s Laughing at Him Now?

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Olivia Chow, Politics, Rob Ford

Do you remember a few months ago there was a media feeding frenzy surrounding beleaguered Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?

The Toronto Star came out with a story about an alleged video of the Mayor doing drugs. The alleged video has still not surfaced.

The Globe and Mail, smelling blood in the political waters, conveniently published, after 18 months of investigative digging, a journalistically pathetic expose of the Mayor’s brother, Councilman Doug Ford. The piece has Doug allegedly selling hash in his family basement, over 30 years ago. But remarkably the expose had no named sources.

 The loony left, led by Josh Matlow of Toronto City Council, was calling for Rob Ford’s head, saying that his alleged drug use was giving the city of Toronto a black eye in the rest of the world.

Even Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne felt compelled to take cheap shots at Mayor Ford.

Recall Premier Wynne had the chutzpah to seriously consider intervening, working to somehow remove a still very popular Mayor who had been democratically elected by a significant portion of the Toronto voting population.

Recall every legitimate journalist from Toronto to Tokyo thought Ford deserved to be hung out to dry.

Except moi. A mild-mannered blogger for a thriving metropolitan online journal.

Against the flow, I wrote a series of articles in support of Ford.

Look who is laughing now. Despite all the craziness, our Mayor, the happy warrior kept repeating the simple message of “Subways, subways, subways.” And with the help of his “on-again, off-again, on-again” TTC frenemy, Karen Stintz, Ford’s push for the Scarborough subway gained traction.

Despite all the efforts of Ford’s leftist/liberal media detractors, such as NOW Magazine, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, Ford retained the support of his popular base in Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke. For a while, no politician of any stripe, would be caught dead or alive on camera with the Mayor. But much to the utter befuddlement of downtown Toronto pundits, Ford Nation stuck by its man.

Then there was Ford Fest — Scarborough, where thousands of Scarborough denizens, of all colors, races and creeds, sporting kippas, turbans and Muslim headgear came out to vocally and physically support Ford, their mayor, and Ford’s push for a Scarborough Subway. Gradually, most smart politicians saw the wisdom of backing a Scarborough subway.

On July 17, over two months ago, in my Huffington Post article, entitled, “Why Harper Should Help Fund the Proposed Toronto Subway”, I outlined seven reasons why the Scarborough Subway, was a ” no brainer” for Harper.

Then, there was the even more successful Ford Fest, Etobicoke style, where thousands of Toronto residents converged on a local park, to meet the ever popular Mayor. All of a sudden, highly visible politicians, Finance Minister Flaherty and PM Harper, wanted to be photographed with Ford.

And then, lo and behold, Prime Minister Harper just announced this week that he is coming up with $660 million to complete the financing of the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway line from Kennedy Station, underground along to the Scarborough Town Centre.

This is a very smart urban transit/ public policy/socio-economic/ political move by Prime Minister Harper. Harper and Flaherty should be commended for seeing this opportunity and seizing this historic moment in the history of Toronto subway transit and Toronto’s development of the often-ignored Scarborough. And of course, bringing the city, the province and Ottawa onside, is a brilliant political victory by Mayor Ford.

As a result, Ford’s popularity is soaring.

His critics are temporarily sidelined. And Ford’s re-election prospects are suddenly much brighter. Ford and the Ford Nation are now just itching to take on the formidable Olivia “Holier Than” Chow in the next mayoral election.

Bring it on, Olivia!

Why Ford’s Scarborough Subway is a Winner

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

I predict that Mayor Ford with the able support of TTC Chairman Stintz, and all the Scarborough councillors will secure majority support on Toronto City Council for a revised deal with Metrolinx.

A deal in which Metrolinx will replace its Scarborough LRT proposal with a new and improved subway extension of the Bloor-Danforth line, from Kennedy station to Scarborough Town Centre.

I also predict that the Wynne government will find some extra cash (between $500 million to $925 million) to fund this Scarborough subway alternative.

Premier Wynne may be imperious, insensitive and arrogant, but she is not politically stupid.

Scarborough is vote rich.

Margarett Best’s Liberal provincial seat (Scarborough Guildwood) is up for grabs in the upcoming by-election on August 1, 2013. Wynne cannot afford to lose this Liberal Scarborough seat.

Opposition leader Tim Hudak is on record of being in support of subways.

The proposed Scarborough subway will be a campaign issue in this upcoming by-election in Scarborough.

And Wynne and the Liberals will lose this seat, unless she and the Liberals go all in.

That means working with Ford, Metrolinx and the TTC in funding this Scarborough subway option.

You know this Scarborough subway option is a winner, when two long time Ford critics, Marcus Gee of the Globe and Royson James of the Toronto Star, grudgingly give Ford credit for getting out ahead of this subway option.

Though James can’t bring himself to believe that Ford will actually win support for this very doable subway solution.

Royson James implies that this Scarborough subway proposal is a good idea, but he questions whether Ford has the political acumen to secure Council, Metrolinx and Ontario government support.

“With leadership skill, fostered cooperation, careful management and political acumen, a mayor can guide council into a final and clear position on this file. But we’ve seen this movie before.”

Marcus Gee, on the other hand, astutely nails the political upside for Ford, Stintz and Wynne. He states in his Globe article why the Scarborough subway is a political winner for the above parties.

“Instead of running on the complaint that Scarborough is getting a raw deal, Mr. Ford could claim to be actually achieving something for commuters there. Ms. Stintz could run on a similar, positive message. As for Premier Kathleen Wynne, the leader of a minority government in the midst of contesting a by-election in Scarborough could do worse than support a Scarborough subway, especially given that her main rival, Conservative Tim Hudak, has a pro-subways platform.

In practical terms, the Scarborough subway would offer a one-seat ride to and from downtown, avoiding the time-consuming transfer to an SRT. Construction could proceed while the existing SRT was still in service, so commuters would not be stuck on the bus while the SRT was rebuilt.”

Marcus Gee astutely concludes,

“And, yes, this last-minute twist in the transit saga adds uncertainty and threatens more delay, but in the grand scheme of the region-wide transit rollout, this is a relatively small and worthwhile adjustment.”

This is also a winner for Ford because politically tone deaf leftists on City Council such Josh Matlow (St. Pauls) and Gord Perks Parkdale-High Park) don’t see the necessity of providing a subway transit solution for the long-suffering Scarborough residents.

And the necessity for the Ontario government and potentially Toronto, bearing the additional costs for this subway option in Scarborough.

Just chalk up their blindness, myopia, selfishness and insensitivity to a case of SWAG ( smug, white, affluent gentry) disease.

You see in Ford’s political gut, he knew his downtown Toronto critics were SWAGS at heart.

They don’t like or “get” his suburban followers, his notorious Ford Nation.

And that is why his loyal fans in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough, love Ford and will walk through walls for this guy.

And that is why Ford has a fighting chance to be re-elected in the next mayoral election.

How the Rob Ford Story Became More About the Media

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Media, Politics, Rob Ford

A funny thing happened on the way to the Rob Ford lynching. The Media became the story.

The hunter became the hunted. The investigator became the investigated.

And the messenger, was caught, red-handed and left-handed, writing the message.

Instead of simply delivering it.

Definitely, a McLuhanesque moment in Toronto media history.

And the messenger became the message.

And the message was,

“Rob Ford should not be mayor of Toronto, though he was democratically elected.”

Firstly, the well-known civil rights lawyer Clay Ruby, and defender of the downtrodden, tried to unseat Rob Ford through legal means by alleging Ford was engaged in a conflict of interest over a $3,150 donation to his football foundation.

Then the Toronto Star team of Donovan and Doolittle tried to force Ford to rehab and out of office, by reporting that they saw an unverified 90-second crack cocaine video allegedly starring Rob Ford.

The Globe and Mail, after 18 months of fruitlessly investigating Doug Ford allegedly dealing in soft drugs in his basement over 30 years ago, was forced to play catch up to the Toronto Star video scoop. And the Globe released a non-story with no identifiable witnesses, 30 years after the fact.

This was not one of the Globe’s shiniest moments.

The Globe’s story was not helped by the Globe editor-in-chief lamely cloaking himself and the Globe in the rather self-serving and vague notion of acting in the “public interest.”

When we in the suburbs knew that the Globe was also acting in its own private self-interest — to sell newspapers and boost its online and print circulation.

All in all, just “sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Still the Star and the Globe, blindly and stubbornly persisted. Refusing to let a salacious tabloid story die a natural death.

The Globe had 6 of its best and brightest reporters rooting through the divorce documents of a no-name Ford assistant.

Both the Star and Globe reported breathlessly about the departures of staff members, as if the city was on the brink of collapse.

The media also gleefully reported on numerous Ford critics on City Council, calling for Ford to come clean, debase himself, wear sackcloth and ashes and throw himself on the pyre of public opinion.

The media further got into the act by reporting that Premier Wynne was considering stepping in and removing Ford from office, for the sake of Toronto ‘s reputation.

Even our own Queen of Letters and Ford nemesis, Margaret Atwood, let out a tweet, “How the Rob Ford Scandal Could Save Toronto”, heard around the world, that is, the Annex. Recommending that Fortress Toronto pull up the drawbridge and keep out the suburban barbarians from entering the inner city.

As if we suburbanites were Barbarians at the Dufferin Gate.

You see Lady Margaret never forgave Ford for preferring french fry over Northrup Frye.

“Let them eat Quinoa,” quoth the Edible Woman.

As a result, Queen Maggie was prepared to lend her considerable name to the de-amalgamation of Toronto from Etobicoke, North York and “Scarberia.”

But notwithstanding the media feeding frenzy, there is incredible pressure on the Fords, from the left, the right and even from US talk show hosts.

Mayor Ford and Doug Ford remained defiant.

Unbowed. Unrepentant.

Kennedy-like grace under pressure.

And then to the shock and utter disbelief of the downtown media, the raging and rising tide of invective and hate, began to turn.

Contrary to the media’s wishful thinking, and with apologies to the great Yeats:

Things did not fall apart in City Hall or in Toronto.
The centre held.
Mere anarchy was not loosed upon our fair city.
Though everywhere,
In the downtown media, on Front and Yonge,
In the Annex coffee shops, the Ossington bars,
And the organic stores, on Bloor
The presumption and ceremony of Ford innocence were drowned;
The best ( the Globe) lacked all conviction,
While the worst, (The Star) were full of passionate intensity.

You see in the media’s rush to judgment, their political instincts had become dulled.

We knew in the suburbs, that the downtown media were smugly ignorant of the incredible support that Rob Ford enjoyed.

And that Ford Nation was untouched by the media circus at City Hall.

When Ford’s strong polls were released, the anti-Ford media onslaught was stopped dead in its tracks.

The people had spoken and it was not pretty.

The media was forced to beat a hasty retreat.

Even they realized that they and Premier Wynne had crossed the line in subtly urging an unelected Premier to overturn the will of the people who had elected Ford fairly and democratically in a city-wide election.

In order to save their shredded reputation, the media even turned on Premier Wynne for her proposed anti-democratic intervention in Toronto City Hall.

When the now infamous “crack cocaine video” failed to emerge, the rout and humiliation of the downtown media were complete.

And even de-amalgamation was derided as “segregation by wealth and ethnicity” by a Toronto Grid columnist.Ouch, that must really hurt, Maggie, and all your liberal followers!

Have the Globe and the Star learned their lesson?

The Star, probably not.

The Globe and Mail is still one of the best newspapers in North America.

But if the Globe is Superman, then Rob Ford is Kryptonite.

And continuous exposure to Ford only weakens the Globe.

Also as the excellent Globe reporter Marcus Gee just realized.

It is sometimes useful for a change, to stop drinking the same gluten-free Almond Milk as all his Globe colleagues in the Annex, Danforth and Beaches.

And get out of his downtown hood.

And travel to the strange lands of Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough.

To learn what is really going on in the rest of Toronto.

How Justin Trudeau Boosted Rob Ford’s Chances of Re-Election

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

In the past, I have not written positive things in the Huffington Post about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. But I must publicly commend Trudeau for his proposal to bring greater transparency and accountability to the Canadian taxpayers and voters.

According to Althia Raj, senior Ottawa reporter for the Huffington Post, “Justin Trudeau has pledged to post online the travel and hospitality expenses of all his Liberal MPs, Senators and staff starting this fall as part of a four part plan to increase transparency in the Senate and in the House of Commons. ”

“As first reported in the Huffington Post Canada, Trudeau’s four point plan will give the public access to the expense claims filed by members of his caucus.”

Raj goes on: “Expenses and entitlements have been a hot topic in Ottawa following the Senate expense scandal that has rocked the upper chamber and landed four senators — Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin, Patrick Brazeau and Mac Harb — in hot water after they allegedly expensed thousands of dollars in ineligible living and travel expenses.”

I must doff my frayed chapeau, to the young Trudeau. He is definitely on to something here.

All Canadians are mighty angry about how our politicians — be they federal, provincial, or municipal — are spending, and in some cases, abusing our hard-earned taxpayer dollars, perhaps improperly claiming expenses incurred for running their respective Parliamentary offices and local constituency offices.

I think Justin Trudeau should go several steps further. Every Federal MP in the House of Commons should post on a quarterly basis, the following: his/her salary; employees’ salaries and service contracts; travel; hospitality and events; advertising; printing; and costs of the offices. And as suggested by Greg Thomas, national director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation, the federal MPs should post all receipts and supporting documentation.

This calls to mind Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Although Ford has been the subject of much criticism, one area where it has been difficult to fault him is his tight office budget. For the past three years, it has been around $1.9-million. In fact, his 2013 office budget has been approved by Toronto city council for the sum of $1.9 million, allowing for 19 staff. The 2010 city office budget of Toronto mayor David Miller in his last year was $2.6 million, with the use of 23 staff. Since Ford only seems to be using about 12 staff members, his actual 2013 office budget costs may be considerably lower than $1.9-million.

Please note that Mayor Ford is the mayor of the city of Toronto, which has a current population of about 2.615 million people, spread over 630 square km. In fact, it could be argued that Ford is too stingy with his budget and should be spending more on staff and support in his office. But interestingly, as I noted in a previous article on Rob Ford, when it comes to the mayor, voters in Toronto if given the choice between a person who breaks the law and a person who wastes taxpayers’ money would prefer the former to the latter.

I predict that if required, Mayor Ford would be more than happy, for the sake of transparency and public accountability, as Justin Trudeau has recommended, to post online his office budget and break it down with particulars supported by documents and receipts. In fact, I believe that it should be a precondition for any serious challenger to Rob Ford to post his/her office expenses, travel expenses, constituency expenses, housing expenses and other expenses with supporting documents and receipts.

Take for example, the NDP Federal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Trinity Spadina, Olivia Chow. Ms. Chow’s name has been bandied about as a possible challenger to Mayor Ford in the 2014 mayoral election. Ms. Chow is very well-known and would be a formidable opponent to Mayor Ford. She represents a federal riding with about 115,000 voters spread over about 25 square kms.

Ms. Chow is also a very principled and thoughtful politician. In view of Justin Trudeau’s policy of greater transparency and accountability, it would behoove Ms. Chow to also post her office budget, employees’ salaries, travel expenses, and constituency expenses for the last three years, together with supporting documents and receipts. Given that she is a person of integrity and principle, with a sincere concern for the plight of her hard-working constituents, I am sure she could account for all the expenses listed above.

Ms. Chow’s total expenses as an MP for April 2011- March 2012, paid for by the Canadian taxpayers, were approximately $428,753. This amount consisted of the following major items: $227,289 for employees’ salaries and service contracts; $54,245 for travel for Ms. Chow, designated traveller and dependents; $11,843 for travel for employees; $19,462 for Ms. Chow’s accommodation and per diem expenses; $43,306 for Ms. Chow’s constituency office, including lease and utilities; and $24,906 for printed householders.

It should be noted that although Mayor Ford represents about 23 times the voters (2.615 million vs. 115,000 voters) spread over 25 times the area as Ms Chow, Mayor Ford’s budget is only 4.43 times greater than Ms. Chow’s total expenses. Granted, Ms. Chow has to drive 4 hours from Ottawa to her Toronto home while Ford just has to drive 45 minutes. And Ms. Chow has the additional cost of a constituency office in her home riding. But still, Ms. Chow’s total costs paid for by the taxpayers seem relatively much larger than Mr. Ford’s.

I am sure Ms. Chow will have reasonable explanations for her use of all these taxpayers’ money.
But superficially, Ford seems to get more bang for the buck for each Toronto voter he represents.

One of the unintended consequences of Justin Trudeau’s push for greater transparency and accountability pertaining to politicians’ expenses just might be that Mayor Ford will rise in voters’ estimation when compared to other political opponents.

The Toronto Star: Mayor Rob Ford Will Be a Very Strong Candidate in 2014 Mayoral Election

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

As reported on Sunday, in the Toronto Star, Mayor Rob Ford will be a formidable candidate for re-election in the 2014 Toronto Mayoral election.

It is interesting to note that the original headline of this online article which appeared on Saturday was, “Rob Ford video scandal: Don’t count the Mayor out yet. Political Strategists say”

The Star headline that appeared in print in the Sunday print edition of this very same article, was amended to read ” Mayor expected to be “very strong” in election. ”

How very curious.

Clearly, even the Toronto Star is having second thoughts on the imminent demise of the mayoralty of Mayor Rob Ford.

To the extent, the Toronto Star completely amended the focus of the headline.

This Toronto Star article also stated that according to a recent Ipsos Reid survey released this past Saturday, “34% of Torontonians said they’d vote to re-elect Ford if an election were held tomorrow.

This is an amazing result.

Recall at the peak of Ford’s popularity, and before he was supposedly rocked by various scandals, these last two years, 43% of Torontonians said that they had voted for him in the last election.

Now, notwithstanding the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail and other media, reporting for two weeks, almost 24/7 on Mayor Ford’s alleged participation in an alleged video, and other unsubstantiated revelations about the Ford family members, Mayor Ford is still viewed as the candidate to beat in the next mayoral election.

In this same article, it is also interesting to note that Bruce Davis, the former campaign manager of George Smitherman’s failed mayoral campaign against Rob Ford, stated that,

“People who think that Rob Ford’s political career will take a hit following allegations of crack cocaine use are delusional. His support is rock solid. He’ll be very strong going into the next election… The people who hated him before still hate him. I haven’t met a single person who has changed their mind (because of the latest controversy). ”

Davis went on to explain the reasons for the rock solid support for Ford. Apparently, notwithstanding Ford’s many controversies and political gaffes, when given the choice, many voters would choose a person who allegedly breaks the law, over a person who wastes taxpayers’ money.

Nick Kouvalis, Ford’s former campaign manager in 2010, also implied that that the potential mayoral candidacy of MP Olivia Chow in 2014, will be no walk in High Park for Ms. Chow.

Kouvalis stated that, “Olivia Chow is an MP — and bless her heart — but she has never gone through a tough campaign before and she has a lot of skeletons in her closet that she will have to face. ”

What Kouvalis is suggesting is that the upcoming mayoral campaign will be really a down and dirty campaign where the dirty linen of all serious candidates and their families will be exposed.

Mayor Ford is very tough and he is now very angry. He strongly believes that he has been unfairly treated by the liberal press of Toronto and his many critics in Toronto.

To date he has apparently survived the intense scrutiny leveled upon him and his family.

Many Ford supporters in Toronto and in the social media, are extremely upset at the way the media have gone after Rob Ford and his family.

I expect that any serious challenger to Rob Ford should expect the same scrutiny and investigations into his/her private life and the lives of his/her family members by Ford supporters and by Ford supporters in the media.

Accordingly, I predict that neither Olivia Chow or Karen Stintz, will challenge Mayor Rob Ford in the next 2014 mayoral election.

Ford Is Distracting The Press From This Story

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Media, Politics, Rob Ford

Kudos to Keith Leslie of the Canadian Press. Now there is a true journalist!

Meanwhile, the crack Globe and Mail team are poring over divorce documents of a “no-name” Rob Ford aide.

And the dynamic duo at the Star of Donovan and Doolittle are waiting like expectant schoolgirls by the phone for the alleged crack cocaine video to magically appear.

Keith Leslie has instead exposed a real major scandal that has very serious legal and criminal implications for former McGuinty staffers.

In his recent article, published in the Toronto Sun, Leslie has reported that Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner is prepared to go public in her upcoming June report and reveal that senior officials in former Ontario Premier McGuinty’s Office have destroyed and deleted many crucial internal emails relating to the cancellation of the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants.

Cavoukian scathingly castigated officials in McGuinty’s office, when she publicly stated on Tuesday: “Someone…said it strained credulity that no one thought they should maybe retain some of the emails…There are retention obligations.Suffice it to say, I was not pleased, putting it mildly and you will see that reflected in the report that comes out.”

According to Keith Leslie, the NDP requested Cavoukian to investigate the actions of the former senior staff in McGuinty’s office, when former principal secretary Jamison Steeve and former deputy policy director Sean Mullin, testified in the legislative hearings on the gas plant cancellations that they had in fact deleted their email accounts.

Cavoukian also shockingly found that there were no emails from McGuinty’s former chief of staff Chris Morley who has not yet testified at the justice hearings of the gas plant cancellations which cost the Ontario taxpayers $585 million and still counting.

As NDP Peter Tabuns noted, “An awful lot of records seem to have been destroyed contrary to the law. Clearly, if people are destroying records, there needs to be a penalty for that.”

Right on, Peter.

The potential crime is “Obstruction of Justice”, assuming the Ontario legislative committees that have been investigating the gas plant cancellations and hearing witness testimony are deemed to be engaged in a judicial proceeding. In this case, under Section 139 of the Canadian Criminal Code, the penalty for obstructing justice is at minimum two years in prison.

Note when the senior staff in the office of BC Premier Liberal Gordon Campbell were caught deleting e-mails, during a government corruption lawsuit, the BC NDP called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the actions of the Liberal staffers.

Wouldn’t that be fascinating if history repeats itself and the Ontario NDP call for a special prosecutor to investigate the actions of the senior staff of Liberal Premier McGuinty for deleting their emails.

Query, do Provincial Liberals throughout Canada have a special secret handbook on how to delete emails when the going gets tough?

The other fascinating aspect of this email destruction scandal, is that the crack investigative teams from the Globe and the Star have been strangely missing in action on this file.

Both the Star and The Globe seem more interested in the more sensational and salacious Rob Ford alleged crack cocaine video, than in the more politically significant nearly $600 million gas plant cancellation scandal and now the intentional destruction of email evidence.

Both The Globe and The Star have forgotten the golden rule of investigative journalism: “Follow the Money.”

Instead, both these newspapers prefer immersing themselves figuratively and literally in the “schmutz” and dirt of the Ford brothers and in the messy private lives of their family members who are neither public officials or major public figures. Certainly, these family members and Ford associates are too insignificant to be worthy of our consideration.

When Rob Ford ran for Mayor, the people of Toronto, knew precisely what they were getting. Rob Ford never promoted himself as being a paragon of virtue. He was and still is, “Everyman”, warts and all, with a side of greasy KFC.

Premier McGuinty, on the other hand, packaged himself as Premier Dad, “Father Premier Knows Best”, a paragon of virtue.

So the fact that he surrounded himself with senior staffers who may have engaged in illegal acts, is truly a great story. An epic morality tale of arrogance and hypocrisy.

Worthy of the attention of both the Star and the Globe.

The fact that both papers are MIA on this McGuinty document destruction story, demonstrates that these once great newspapers, prefer shallow, superficial sensational tabloid journalism, to real, hard and serious investigative journalism.

How the mighty have fallen!!!