Daniel Dale on what happened near the mayor’s home

[oldjones]

I'd rather have an average Joe like Rob Ford in the driver's seat, than a slick "politician".

Please don't insult average Joes, by suggesting Ford was acting like them. If that really is 'average behaviour' we're in very sad shape.

Isn't the real question how to get Rob into that driver's seat instead of playing bouncer-on-steroids, or driver and receptionist, or radio host. What we need is a Mayor who does his homework and puts costed plans to Council with facts to back them and the votes to pass them.

We note that after cutting the services he promised to save, raising our property taxes and after spending the surpluses from Miller's land transfer tax, he's now saying he will likely delay keeping his promise to repeal it. That's typical 'slick politician' in my books.

All that with still not a penny of planning to put an inch of subway anywhere.

Try the driver's seat Rob. You were elected to it.

 

[WinterHawk]

When you say what would be better for us in the future, are you accounting for the exorbitant interest payments on the crippling debt that subways would require?

In light of that it's very clear to me that LRT, and affordable debt levels, are much better.

You may prefer reckless spending and out of control budgets but i prefer that finances be kept reasonable.

I prefer my taxes to increase to get the city better transit, and not just for Sheppard. A subway along Steeles and to the airport.

 

[Anbarandy]

I agree, except the only difference between a regular citizen and Ford is that Rob has had his private homes staked out numerous times. I dont blame him for being extra touchy when it comes to protecting his family

Yes another bulging bully is currently having his Bridle Path estate staked out by dozens of reporters as we speak. Yet, we have not and most likely will not see Conrad Black charging like an enraged child at the throngs of reporters camped outside his gated driveway and intimidating them to drop their equipment.

 

[james t kirk]

Wasn't his point that personal attacks are not warranted? You continually bring up Ford being fat. We get it. Denigrating people for being obese is socially acceptable. Denigrating people for being gay, or black, or whatever is not acceptable. I think the original guy was simply pointing out the double standard (and you only hammered home his point).

I think Ford is his own worst enemy, no doubt about it. He is under attack by those who do not like him every day, and he handles it terribly (and he should really enlist better help to assist him with this). The Star is simply an exercise in bad journalism, and this is simply one way they can sell more papers at all cost. It is a bad paper and this only reinforces it. Sue-Ann Levy's column was right on.

Show me where I denegrate Ford for being fat?

He is fat. That is a fact. I don't call him "fat boy" or "fat fuck", though I do call him "Mayor McCheese".

I have actually posted several times agreeing with some of the things that Ford is doing:

1. I agree that we should be building subways and not LRTs. But that said, we need to find a special way to pay for them.
2. I agree with contracting out garbage collection (Strongly agree.)
3. I agree with contracting out office cleaners. (Strongly agree.)
4. I agree with cutting the size of the civil service at City Hall.
5. I agree with getting rid of the "Fair Wage Office"


But at the same time, I think Ford is an idiot a lot of the time

1. All of his violent temper outbursts
2. His desire to bring an NFL team to Toronto and build an idiotic stadium to house it
3. Him wanting to build a shopping mall and mono rail and ferris wheel on the waterfront (that was the king of all idiot manouvres)
4. His stance on bike paths
5. His stance on public health and voting against public nurses
6. His stance on attending the Gay Pride Day parade and other festivities.


My candidate of choice for mayor was always John Tory, but the fucker wouldn't run.

 

[fuji]

I prefer my taxes to increase to get the city better transit, and not just for Sheppard. A subway along Steeles and to the airport.

A subway to the airport does not make any sense. On the other hand, the surface rail line they are building to the airport does make some good sense. If by "subway" you mean train--sure. You don't really need to bury them, though, other than in the busy city core. I don't know about more east/west lines, though--I think what we need is another north/south loop to take the pressure off the Yonge line, and off of Union Station. Perhaps something running down from Pape, along Queen, and up Roncesvalle.

I do agree that we could have better public transit options on the table if we were willing to pay for them. However, in the absence of any willingness on Ford's part to raise taxes, I would prefer an LRT over nothing.

 

[Aardvark154]

Even in Toronto in May it seems strange that a reporter is wandering around behind someone's house at 7:30 in the evening. If he had been there at high noon his story would be a lot more straight forward.

 

[Rockslinger]

I think that the Dale and the woman who took the vid of our mayor entering the KFC is just a sad reflection of our society. I could care less where the mayor lives or where he eats.

 

[5hummer]

Bottomline: Our Toronto mayor is an idiot!

The reason is obvious -- he should have called 911, police or security to handle this. This guy could have been a psycho or terrorist.

Thankfully, the city hasn't been affected by any city-wide emergencies (like a Snowmageddon), I imagine our "mayor" wouldn't know what to do in times of emergency.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Yes another bulging bully is currently having his Bridle Path estate staked out by dozens of reporters as we speak. Yet, we have not and most likely will not see Conrad Black charging like an enraged child at the throngs of reporters camped outside his gated driveway and intimidating them to drop their equipment

Allright we get it now, Bitter Housewife. You despise anyone who makes more money then you.

Add points if the bread-earner's wife is super sexy

 

[fuji]

Even in Toronto in May it seems strange that a reporter is wandering around behind someone's house at 7:30 in the evening. If he had been there at high noon his story would be a lot more straight forward.

Strange or not, it's a park, and he had a clear current events news reporting reason to be there, even if it was getting a little late. I have had journalists interview me in the evening though, they do work those hours regularly.

 

[groggy]

Even in Toronto in May it seems strange that a reporter is wandering around behind someone's house at 7:30 in the evening. If he had been there at high noon his story would be a lot more straight forward.

It was the same day the story of Ford trying to buy parkland broke.
I'd be there if I worked for a paper to check it out.

 

[Rockslinger]

Strange or not, it's a park,

I stay away from parks after 7PM at this time of year. Too many shady characters there. Maybe dealing drugs or women, who knows, I don't ask.

 

[fuji]

I stay away from parks after 7PM at this time of year. Too many shady characters there. Maybe dealing drugs or women, who knows, I don't ask.

Yup, I think Dale was there checking such facts, as Ford claimed such people were accessing his property at night. It's the job of a reporter to find out if it's true.

 

[Garrett]

Show me where I denegrate Ford for being fat?

He is fat. That is a fact. I don't call him "fat boy" or "fat fuck", though I do call him "Mayor McCheese".

Uh, hello? What cute name would you give a gay man or a black man that you would still stand by.
It is a double standard, and was exactly the other poster's point.

I actually think you are a pretty wise/reasonable guy. I don't agree with your rationalization above though.

My candidate of choice for mayor was always John Tory, but the fucker wouldn't run.

I am not sure I am a Tory fan. More polished than Ford, but I simply do not have a good line on what he has actually accomplished. He comes off well on his radio show.

Given what has happened to Ford, I am not sure anyone of quality would step up. The Star is engaging in yellow journalism because someone not only does not meet their agenda, but has basically refused to deal with them. Given Ford's obvious flaws, I think he is actually wise not to engage (know your weaknesses). This incident has only reinforced my very low opinion of the Star. They need to pump up their circulation numbers to keep their advertising rates, and they do it by whatever means necessary.

I love Toronto, but we are fooling ourselves this is a world class city. It is brutal to get around. Entertainment options are in decline, especially at a reasonable cost. Council has shown nothing innovative and an inability to manage a budget or services. I pretty much agree with your "agree/idiot" list. I find it especially ironic that Ford is the visionary who wants to push for subways.

 

[Garrett]

Even in Toronto in May it seems strange that a reporter is wandering around behind someone's house at 7:30 in the evening. If he had been there at high noon his story would be a lot more straight forward.

... and if he was somewhat close to the land in question.

If he was not sure where the land was, it does not really speak well for a story he had already filed.

Everyone likes to say he is an award winning journalist. Only story I could find he won an award for was about a toonie lying on the ground. I found it pretty unremarkable, and certainly not something that indicates any journalistic integrity.

 

[fuji]

Uh, hello? What cute name would you give a gay man or a black man that you would still stand by.
It is a double standard, and was exactly the other poster's point.

Sexual orientation and race are protected categories. Being a lard ass, or being an idiot, are not. You can legally discriminate against the fat and the stupid unless they are so fat or so stupid that it is a disability.

 

[fuji]

... and if he was somewhat close to the land in question.

If he was not sure where the land was, it does not really speak well for a story he had already filed.

This is nonsense. Do you really have ANY doubt that he was there to look at the property he was writing a series of stories about? I'm quite sure his editor sent him there.

 

[wigglee]

Apart from being an asshole, Dale seems like the biggest wimp on the planet. Did he pee his pants as well?

so it has come to this....the Ford defenders are so desperate they can only ridicule the reporter for perhaps being gay and non-violent.

Meanwhile our huge bellied hero is waving his fist in the air and demanding the guy drop his phone on public property....wow... what a man!

 

[fuji]

so it has come to this....the Ford defenders are so desperate they can only ridicule the reporter for perhaps being gay and non-violent.

Meanwhile our huge bellied hero is waving his fist in the air and demanding the guy drop his phone on public property....wow... what a man!

Dale does seem like a bit of a wimp. I would have stood my ground. If Ford actually hit him the story only gets better.

That doesn't mean he was doing anything wrong. Just that he seems a little soft.

 

[james t kirk]

Dale does seem like a bit of a wimp. I would have stood my ground. If Ford actually hit him the story only gets better.

That doesn't mean he was doing anything wrong. Just that he seems a little soft.

Agreed.

If Ford had slugged him, this story would have gone orbital. Dale should have stood his ground.

By the way, I heard on the radio that the TRCA ruled with respect to the sale of the property that Ford wants to buy that it will have to go to public consultation.

Har, Ford might as well be selected to be the next astronaught for NASA. It would be easier than him trying to buy this parcel of land if it has to go out for public input.