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Five things we learned from the Star’s voyeuristic reporting about Rob Ford’s itinerary

By John Michael McGrath
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Rob Ford takes in a hockey game (Image: Tim Alamenciak)
Rob Ford takes in a hockey game (Image: Tim Alamenciak)

Mayor Rob Ford has, thus far, tried hard to keep his personal itinerary a secret. We’re not quite sure why, but now that the Toronto Star has managed to get its hand on it . . . well, we’re still not quite sure why. The paper looks at the first two months and a bit after the mayor was inaugurated, and there’s nothing that’s terribly incriminating. And if the Star can’t dig up the dirt on Ford, it’s not for a lack of trying. Still, here are five things we learned.

1. Mike Harris is still kicking around The former premier showed up briefly at Rob Ford’s victory party, but the Fords have tried pretty hard to hide connections between the two figures. Of course, now that he doesn’t have to worry about an election until 2014, Ford can be a bit (just a bit) more open about meeting with the man Toronto still loves to hate. The Star reports that Ford met with Harris and a fundraiser on December 20. Topics for discussion might have included: gratitude, and whether they hate red tape or brown gravy more.

2. Councillors not meeting with the mayor is normal In an attempt to maybe gin up some controversy, the Star notes that Ford has only met with one opposition councillor in his itinerary—Kristyn Wong-Tam, on February 9. Adam Vaughan, however, says that’s not bizarre or a sign of Ford’s hate for democracy: Vaughan only met with David Miller “about three times” in seven years, says the Star.

3. Being the mayor is hard work The sheer number of events is impressive. We can’t say how it compares to Miller’s time in office, but the fact that Ford was attending an event to thank a fundraiser on the morning of Sergeant Ryan Russell’s death sure speaks to the mayor’s dedication to getting his face out there and meeting the people of this city.

4. Meetings aren’t everything Ford has met with Hazel McCallion, Oshawa mayor John Henry and Jim Flaherty. Ford’s meeting with the finance minister seems to have produced exactly zero for Toronto specifically, and close to nothing for cities generally.

5. Of course, football Ford, as promised, continues to make time for his football team. The alternative is to have the players yelled at in locker rooms during CBC interviews with brother Doug Ford, and nobody wants that.

• What does Rob Ford do all day? [Toronto Star]

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