Anyone?

I don't think Vancouver would have elected him. We have Mayor Robertson who some refer to as Mayor Moonbeam. There's a big difference between them. Robertson's into residential chicken coups, community gardens, bike lanes and pianos in the public square. I like him.

Throwing some change at some homeless people and calling them bums does seem minor in comparision.

I think some of how Toronto is handling this is good.  People are encouraging Ford to get help.

In general, I don't understand the ideal of electing the 'everyday Joe', 'someone I could drink a beer with'.  We had someone run for mayor like that here, and to me his just came across as uninformed and I wouldn't trust him to deal with others.  I want an elected official to be educated about politics.  When issues come up that they aren't experts in, I want them to know enough to at least have a good starting point about where to look.  I don't think this makes someone unrelateable.  Maybe intimidating in some regards, but I'm ok with that, and would much prefer it to being intimidated by someone because they have no control over what they are doing.

I would guess that Ralph Klein is name known. He did more than throw change at a homeless person. He was pictured hanging with Grim Reapers. He threw a book at a page. He made a lewd joke about Belinda Stonach. The list could go on and likely certainly would with police survelliance. I can bet it would in many cases and across political parties. Anyone know the names Saganash, McCallum, Kennedy, Joyce? 

He did do more than that, but that always appears as the most extreme, and he got help shortly after.

Some of the stuff Ford did earlier is something I see on an equivalent scale, but it goes beyond.

Chemgal, appearances are not ways truth. Also what seems worse is relative.You think the worst was tossing change and calling someone a bum. I think tossing a book at work and hitting another person is worse. I bet Klein did worse than both those things when people were not watching or that people who cared about him kept quiet about.

Ralph-Klein-a- scope -a lens through which voters see how a city is governed, and because of the blinders, do not see so many transgressions that a majority of thoughful, insightful Canadians see...  

NowToronto is going through this horrible process, and hopefully there will be a better resolution and Ford will face serious criminal charges, unlike Klein who should have also seen the same fate.  Yeah Tory!  Yeah Western politics, oh and yes, is that where Harper was educated and dwells? 

Critique action of an individual holding office.  Not location.  The west vs Toronto game is tired and old and pathetic. 

Yes, in terms of the people hurt, the book throwing was worse.  Maybe it was the way it was publicized maybe it's the timeline and my age so what I noticed, but the out of controllness seemed worse at the homeless shelter.

Ford seems more out of control, but maybe it is just what's been done in public.

So don't compare the West to Toronto, just bash the West?

The West can laugh all it wants.

Toronto remains Canada's one and only world-class city.

BC has certainly had it's fair share of wacky politicians - heck, our second premier was named Amour de Cosmos - and we've definitely had our fair share of scandals, but I don't think we've ever had a politician quite like Mayor Ford. 

I have nothing against individual Torontonians (in fact, I have several friends from Toronto), but we westerners get tired of the smugness that seems to eminate from that city at times - as evidenced in Dcn. Jae's comments about it being "Canada's one and only world'class city." In the past, I've often felt that the government forgets about everything west of the Manitoba/Ontario border. Ironically, these days I miss that feeling - I find myself wishing that Stephen Harper and his party would forget about us a little more. Politically, on a federal scale everything revolves around Toronto and Ottawa, leaving the rest of us feeling a little left out. So yes, many of us enjoy seeing Toronto get knocked down a peg or two once in awhile. This thing with Rob Ford, however, has gone so much further than that, however. I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but I actually feel sorry for Torontonians!

Weekly warning: Jae is trolling you.

Really??? I hadn't guessed that!   

And the further west you go, the better it is!

Only until you get as far West as the AB/Sask border.  Then it becomes about elevation, the higher the better :)

People north of 7 can feel the same way, that Toronto is all that matters. But, really this is just another political scandal. It is not about where or heck even that Rob Ford is something new or the worst offender. Marion Barry smoked crack. Rumours of using illegal drugs came up in his first term. He was in his third term when he was arrested. He stayed mayor through the arrest and trial. He sought not to seek re-election in 1990. He came back and won election for a 4th term. The UK's Nigel Evans was charged with multiple counts of rape. Heck, anyone remember Canada's Colin Thatcher? My little town's reeve was a registered sex offender....

I used to think of myself as Canadian, and therein lies a sense of nationalism.  However, over the past few years, I admit that I would be embarressed to say that I am Canadian.

I was born and raised in Etobicke, and I have lived as an adult in downtown Toronto and Riverdale.  And until recently, I was very happy and proud to live in North America's fourth largest city.  A city that is internationally renowned for tolerance, diversity and inclusiveness.  That is the understanding of the city in which I was raised.  And yes, it is large, it is the economic centre of Canada, and Ontario has the most post secondary and research institutions, most of which are located in the GTA.  And so, Toronto is important.  I am proud, generally, that Toronto is a safe place, that Torontonians are caring, decent and that many diverse communities respect each other.  Like many urban centres, with large populations, there is a dark underside of corruption and crime.

That Ford is involved in the dark side, to me, is horrific.  But do not think that for one minute he represents most Torontonians.  And even those who have blindly, and with stiff necks, supported him, are walking away.  It will take criminal charges to bring him down, and I think that is comin' down the pipe.

And so, I cannot claim in any great way to be Etobicokian, Torontonian or Canadian, because being asscoiated with any of these places is negative.  Best just to declare a being a person, and try really hard to do what is best in all situations.

Ford needs to do the same: resign, get some medical help, and deal with legal issues.

He is not responsible for Toronto, but, tragically, he is the ultimate representative of my city.  And that has to change.  It is f*#ked up that City Council and apparently city hall cannot make it happen, but then again, politics is an old boys club and of course structured in a way that only criminal activity could force one to be removed....oh wait, was I talking about the federal Senate or Toronto?

Hi crazyheart,

Anyone laughing at the misfortune of others is going to be laughed at when misfortune finds them.

That said, the Mayor is not Toronto, much less Ontario or the whole of the East.

The lunacy that is the Rob Ford Mayoralty provides little option but to laugh or cry though there are more than a few moments of "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"

And if anything, Rob Ford as the architect of his own undoing should be a cautionary tale for those who think they also have nothing to hide.  Because if you have ever been a jerk to somebody, they remember it and sooner or later they might spill beans you never thought you had to worry about.

Grace and peace to you.

John

revjohn, when Ford made the "revelation" regarding drinking and driving he challenged the press, in a sarcastic way, saying they never had.  My wife said, "As much as I dislike the man, he has a point". My wife does not drink and never has. She can say she has never drove home after a few. Many of those gathered with the press likely have. Those watching at home, many of them have. I think that as we go for blood in politics, where every campaign is a "smear campaign", where we generally tear apart our politicians, where we ask questions that could not be asked elsewhere and things that have little relations to a person's politics...decent folks are scared of what will come out of their very human closet if people dig too deep, the hings that will be laughable, scandalous, embarrassing...People do not want honesty, that politicians (actors, athletes, etc... and yes, clergy) are as human as anyone else. So, not having that well of folks, we are left with those who lie and those who do not care. We seem to keep digging deeper into the yucky barrel for candidates. When we do, we cannot be that shocked that slimy things come out of that cesspool.

Hi SG,

He has a point.  It represents absolutely no defence to what we as a society have determined indefencible.  The fact that we cannot lay charges against him without finding him drunk behind the wheel represents a small mercy.  That ends when he is suddenly caught drunk behind the wheel.

It is the child's ploy of stating when caught with a hand in the cookie jar that they aren't the only one who has been pilfering cookies.

As true as it is it doesn't make those guilty any less guilty.

At best it is a deflection.  At worst it is an excuse.

Mayor Ford will either understand that it cannot happen again and take steps to prevent against it ever happening again or, in a short while it will happen again.

And should it ever happen again I expect folk will take the police to task for not being able to stop Mayor Ford.

As far as the blood in politics goes I am immediately reminded that it was Mayor Ford himself who promised the campaign to the Mayor's chair in 2014 would be a blood bath.  So far he has only been slitting his own throat.  One wonders how it could possibly become bloodier.

With respect to the slimy things shocking a Calvinist is no easy feat.  Ford scored a hat-trick yesterday in that regard.  And I don't believe he is the worst politician the world has ever seen at present he is just the one that can't shut up and leave centre stage.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Rev. John, I do not find it a defense. It is defelction and excuse. That is agreed. My wife and I were commenting not about Mr. Ford. We were talking about the media and the public. I think the media is having a field day and I say that as someone who has worked in media and with a spouse who still does. I think the public, as much as they are horrified and saddened, are also mesmerized and are like people watching a train wreck in slow motion. I am also a fan of Matthew 7:12.

I do not expect most addicts will quit drinking and driving. For most, they need to quit drinking or they will again drink and drive. I do not think it is about understanding the seriousness of it or the risks. It is more about being an addict. If they need to drive to get more liquour, they will. People will do all kinds of things they know are abhorent. I do not think a driver or a breathalyzer will stop that. I think it will make it more difficult.

I agree that the bloodbath he predicted has already began and Mr. Ford is hemorrhaging. Time will tell if this will be fatal to him either as a politician or as a human being.

in answer to the OP,

i am proud to be a citizen of Canada, a country where our ability to laugh at ourselves, and with others, is part of our everyday life, part of our country's DNA, our spirituality

resist the pull of the Ewe Ess media machine to make us afraid of everything, of the pull of Europe to make us think that history is infallible & deterministic...

be proud of the prat fall, the laugh, the embarrassment...it's part of what makes you Canadian

*disappears back into the ether*

I don't think toronto laughs at the west and I don't think the west should laugh at toronto.

In all honesty , I am enjoying the show. I am loving the late night talk show jokes. Did you see the one about jeopardy? Look for it on you tube

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I understand the appeal of Ford. after a long time of over spending by toronto city council, no one seemed to care. Our garbage strike in the summer, and then the mayor caved in and gave them everything they wanted?

Costs were out of control.

Now I don't believe the statements about how much he has saved us. I do believe that he is causing a tightening of controls. And that has caused savings

He appeals to people because the average person gets fed up with politicians who make more than the average, spend our tax money often frivolously and don't seem to get it.

Ford, though he may be personally wealthy, I am not sure he is as wealthy as some say. And as an uneducated, buffoon, which may be an act, he appeals to people. He is an "anti politician" and people are tired of "professional politicians". Though in fact he is one.

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I do seriously I wonder what the role of mayor is. I listened to talk radio yesterday. People who supported him were encouraged to call. Many called who liked him because he gets back to you. He returns calls. A woman called and said he helped her get a Replacement green box the next day instead of two weeks later.

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My question would be. Why does a mayor of. City of three million call back someone who needs a green box? Are there not more important things for a mayor to do? What does he do?

I should add, I voted for him. What was our choice really? Smitherman. The arc text of the e health fiasco who go cost billions? Another liberal hack?

I won't vote for him again but I agree with the philosophy of controlling spending. I am hopeful that John Tory, will run

Actually I hope Adam Vaughan will run for mayor.  What Canadians need is NOT old school, tired conservative policies and conduct.  John Tory is a good lawyer and a decent radio host - but his failed attempts in the political arena does prove that Torontonians do not have confidence in his leadership abilities.  That said,  our current Tory driven leadership also is pathetic.  Federally and municipally. Harper and Ford would likely jump at the chance of a Tea Party GOP offer.  It seems that Doug Ford is doing just that.  And maybe the entire Ford family should relocate permanently to Florida or Texas, and just hang out with the Bush family.

Gosh, I find Adam Vaughn about the most annoying person in toronto. I expect the big people running will be Chow, Ford, and Tory. And of course that will mean Chow wins with the split vote.

What a mess that will be, right back into exorbitant tax and spend. But she will capitalize on people having a bizarre love affair with Jack, though he was a terrible councillor

But that's politics, we all see what we like and ignore what we don't.

Actually the Ford brothers hold the top two most annoying people in Toronto positions.  And daily they provide evidence.  It has to be really bad when the voluteers who run the Santa Claus parade request that you stay away.  Not to mention all of criminal, racist and mysoginistic behaviour.  Just saying.

The organizers wanted the crowd to be focused on a jolly fat man, not an angry one who has smoked crack.

Toronto's Santa Claus Parade is just one of the many wonderful public events held in our city each year. While some other Canadian cities try, no one puts on a better Santa parade than does Toronto.

Hi lastpointe,

This should not be underestimated.  This is labelled retail politics and it has a definite advantage over status quo politics.  If I take the time to contact a politician, especially one who is supposed to be representing me, I want a response.  I may not like the response but I want to know that my message got through and I want to know that my request was considered.

This also should not be underestimated.  Why the heck would it take two weeks to get a green box?  What the heck do I do with my compostibles in the meanwhile?  The city institutes a green bin and I'm going to get grief from the city for trying to be in compliance.  That is bureaucratic nonsense.  A green box the next day is, at the very least, a city taking responsibility and valueing the program it has implemented.

I suspect the wait was due to the fact that the green box would be delivered by the same crew collecting it on the appointed day so instead of picking up a full one they just drop off a new clean one.  It actually is far more cost effective for the city to do it that way.  It browns off the tax-payer who is trying to comply with the waste management program.  Of course the tax-payer is not having to foot the bill all on their own for that extra trip over to their house.  If they had gotten a bill from the City for the mileage they would think twice about that kind of quick service.

To be fair, any City Councillor could be doing the same thing.

One might say that every City Councillor should be doing the same thing.

Because that someone called him and he is returning the call rather than passing it off to somebody who is going to say, two weeks.

You don't think responding to a request from a citizen is important enough for a Mayor?

You mean apart from all the detailed stuff on the ITO?

I'm not sure that the Mayor of Toronto has more powers than most other Mayors in the Province of Ontario.

Our Mayor typically chairs council meetings.  Which means ruling on procedures and running the agenda.  The Mayor votes in the event of a tie.  If the Mayor wishes to speak to a motion or introduce a motion the Mayor vacates the Chair and another councillor (deputy Mayor) sits as chair until the vote is taken.

The Mayor in Brantford does not have the power to appoint or remove members from the executive or committees.  I note that the Mayor of Toronto does not have that right enshrined.  City Council voted to give the Mayor that right which means they can vote to take it away if they feel it is warranted.

Apart from Council work the Mayor is a goodwill ambassador representing the community.  Flag rasing, proclaiming special days, weeks or months attending civic events.  Basically being visible out in public.

Since Mayor Ford, particularly as a councillor, is not at all about consensus it is no suprise that he is more divisive as Mayor than co-operative.

But hey, if he can save me a two week wait on a green box that means something.

Grace and peace to you.

John