Could another member of the Ford family become Toronto’s next mayor?
Michael Ford said today that he is strongly considering a mayoral run
Former city councillor Michael Ford, who is the nephew of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, told CP24 today that regarding a potential mayoral run, he is “giving it some strong and serious consideration.”
Related: John Tory says mayoral opponents planned to drag his personal life into their campaigns
Until last year, Ford was the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. Rob Ford, his uncle, who died in 2016, was Toronto’s mayor from 2010 to 2014.
“Like many Torontonians, we see that crime, congestion and skyrocketing property taxes are major issues that are top of mind for residents across our city,” he said in a written statement sent to CP24. “This will no doubt be a pivotal election. Public service has always been an integral part of my life and it is for that reason that I am giving it some strong consideration.”
Mayor Olivia Chow has not yet announced whether she will seek re-election in October. John Tory, Toronto’s former mayor, confirmed yesterday that he does not intend to run, citing concerns about his personal life being a focus among his mayoral opponents. Councillor Brad Bradford has already expressed his intention to seek election for a second time, after being unsuccessful in 2023.
Ford’s stated interest in the mayoral position comes amid speculation that his uncle, Premier Doug Ford, could be eying a run at prime minister someday. Ford’s daughter Krista (Michael’s cousin) said on the Can’t Be Censored podcast last month that she believed he’d run for federal leadership “at some point.”
Related: You’ll never guess where Doug Ford wants to put a new Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
