Candidates face off for Rob Ford’s former ward

Hopefuls including the late Rob Ford’s nephew, running in his old Ward 2 council seat, engage in colourful debate Wednesday tonight.
The second major debate in the election to fill Rob Ford’s old Ward 2 council seat saw minor political jabs mixed with a flurry of dramatic antics, a combination fit for the legacy of Toronto’s most infamous political figure.
The debate, which took place at Etobicoke’s Martingrove United Church late Wednesday evening, focused mainly on community concerns around the booming transportation budget, the need for new policing tactics, and the Ford-family-favourite issue of garbage collection.
Front-runners Michael Ford and Jeff Canning started off the debate by thanking each other for showing up, but the tone quickly changed when Canning accused Ford of pulling out of the debate earlier in the day, only to reinstate his attendance at the last minute.
Canning also accused Ford’s campaign of planting a number of signs on and around the church’s property shortly before the debate, which Canning said Ford did not ask permission for. While Ford made no comment on either accusations, dozens of signs were observable to the Star upon exiting the church.
“When you get in the ring with Mike Tyson, you better be ready to box,” Canning said, comparing Michael Ford to the boxing champ who once came to the defence of his uncle during his time as mayor. “(Michael Ford) hasn’t bit off anyone’s ear yet (as Tyson did), but . . . ”
Canning argued that his goal is to change policy, not to participate in a family legacy. Ford replied, “I understand much of the conversation is geared toward my family and me, but I think that’s wrong. That’s not what this is about. We need to do right by the taxpayers and focus on the issues that matter.”
Much of the debate was spent trying to get the candidates stay on track, with Kevin Clarke and Chaitanya Kalevar — two candidates who caused numerous disruptions at Wednesday’s debate — drawing both ire and laughter for absurd comments they made when asked about serious questions.
“I am the Black Rob Ford,” Clarke said at one point, playing off his numerous comparisons between himself and the former mayor. “I will rip (Tory and Wynne) a new A-R-S-E,” he said, while holding up a paper note that spelled out the mild vulgarity.
At one point, Kalevar scoffed at the idea of working toward giving a green light for the long-delayed Woodbine Entertainment Complex, instead suggesting that 50 per cent of Torontonians are obese and there should be fitness centres built instead.
“Get off your fat asses, all of you,” he said. One audience member scolded him by reminding him that he was inside a church.
Christopher Strain, another strong contender, saw less observable reception from the audience than in Monday’s debate and struggled to keep up with underdog candidate Chloe-Marie Brown, who drew applause from much of the room with most of her responses to questions on transportation, crime, and education.
Garbage pickup became a point for candidates to trade jabs, with much of the damage being dealt to Ford for his use of the phrase “customer service” — a familiar policy of the Ford family, known for returning’ residents phone calls and heading directly to their doors.
“It starts with community service, not customer service. It starts where you live,” Brown said, followed by a similar remark from Canning that doubled down on the idea that the Fords were doing a disservice to the community.
In a darker moment, Kalevar suggested that pollutants left over from trash was a cause of cancer in people. Kalevar also said that some people in Etobicoke had even died from cancer caused by trash, but noted that he wouldn’t say any names, a statement that caused some gasps in the audience due to the relation to the death of Ford’s uncle.
The byelection for Ward 2 officially concludes on July 25.