Rob and Doug Ford gang up on Toronto’s chief medical officer

Rob and Doug Ford may have gone too far in their war of words against the war on cars. On their radio show this week, the brothers targeted Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s medical officer of health, who last week recommended a city-wide reduction of speed limits (the board of health has since suggested pilot projects to reduce speed limits, but only in neighbourhoods that want them). The mayor called McKeown’s $290,000 salary “an embarrassment” and something he’d look into, while Doug—doing some long-distance bullying from Florida, where his daughter is competing in a cheerleading competition—questioned why McKeown even had the job. That speechifying caught the attention of health board chair John Filion, who promised to see how the board can respond. Apparently it’s inappropriate to publicly criticize an independent staff member for giving fact-based recommendations (NOW Magazine even interpreted the Fords’ comments as a precursor to a Gary Webster–style firing). Though we don’t dispute the Fords’ love of zooming down the freeway, we’re hoping the brash talk is just an attempt to pep up a less than electrifying radio show and not a plan of action. [Toronto Star]