To the delight of many Toronto residents, Rob Ford’s cookie kingdom appears to be crumbling. It was only a matter of time, really. As powerful as Mayor Ford and his brother councillor Doug Ford seem there are still 43 other members of council whose votes they need in order to carry out their personal agenda.
A municipally-elected official cannot barrel into City Hall and set about undoing years of democratically conducted work without repercussions. “Ford Nation” — a term Rob so humbly coined back in May — has stuck as a way to identify Team Ford in its quest to quash Toronto. Ford Nation offers a very delineated line between those with Ford and those against him. Rob Ford’s Toronto is one of suburbanites and big businesses, supported on council by a number of right-minded allies. Therefore, everyone else is “against” him: left-leaning councillors and anyone who fits the “pinko” label Don Cherry diplomatically cast when introducing Rob at the mayor’s swearing-in ceremony in December 2010 (yeah, I’m still not over it).
Ford Nation has looked mighty powerful, as they successfully carried out their first order of business to cancel Transit City with no regard to the millions of dollars wasted in doing so. The Fords have a devoted inner circle on City Council, aided by the outrageously undemocratic practice of councillor, Giorgio Mammoliti, who gives a thumbs up or thumbs down when votes arise in order to direct “Ford Nation.” Though as Ford supporters elected him to stop the “gravy train” at City Hall and reduce wasteful spending, their definition of waste does not exactly match his. When important services like public libraries, childcare, public transit, and arts funding were put on the chopping block in order to tackle the city’s massive deficit, the people of Toronto fought back. Hundreds of citizens presented their arguments against cutting necessary services at two marathon meetings of the executive committee, and the outcome was a delay in making any overly controversial decisions. The thing is, Torontonians want a vibrant, livable city, and are not willing to let Ford Nation destroy that. Needless to say, Ford’s popularity is in sharp decline.
In a Forum Research telephone poll of almost 13,000 people commissioned by CUPE Local 79, one of two major unions at city hall, 77 per cent of respondents said that they want their councillors to maintain services and vote against Ford’s plans. 54% indicated that their opinion of Ford has worsened since the election last fall and 73 per cent would not vote for him if an election were held tomorrow.
Remarkably, less than 50 per cent of residents in wards that chose Ford allies support the mayor now. For example, only 23.4 per cent of people in the ward of Karen Stinz, TTC chair and former key Ford supporter, support him today; and that figure is highest in Doug Ford’s ward at just 45.4%. The numbers show that Ford Nation is stalling, but Rob Ford is a honeybadger: he don’t give a shit.
Ford does what he wants, as shown in the recent debate over the Port Lands issue. Rob and Doug put together their own vision for development of the Port Lands, that waterfront industrial area east of the Distillery District. Waterfront Toronto, which started a decade ago with $500 million from the city, the province, and the federal government, has been the lead agency in Port Lands development and has plans for parks and mixed-use residential and commercial space. The Fords wanted to take control to build a monorail, mega-mall, and giant ferris wheel, to public dismay and a bunch of Simpsons jokes, referencing a classic episode in which a con-man sells Springfield a monorail and skips town with all their money.
Luckily for the integrity of Toronto, those 43 other councillors represented their constituents and said “no.” A further indication of Ford Nation’s collapse is that Ford’s inner circle went against their master, as council voted unanimously on September 21 to maintain the role of Waterfront Toronto in Port Lands revitalization. Of course it’s too early to decisively say that the great Ford Nation has finally fallen, but it’s starting to slip. Obviously councillors have figured out that they need to adhere to the wishes of their constituents, especially if they want to have political careers that extend past Rob Ford’s term as mayor.
You can do your part by contacting your councillor to tell him or her how you would want to be represented in city council go to (app.toronto.ca/wards for contact information). Even if you only live here 8 months of the year, council decisions affect how you get around the city and what you can do while you’re here. So cheers to the crumbling of Ford Nation and may our councillors continue to protect Toronto from a Ford-driven bulldozer.
