Apparently Toronto Mayor Rob Ford charged towards the reporter screaming that he was spying on him, as per this story, now making the rounds on Twitter.
Various reporters across Canada are already suggesting what their mayors would do in the same situation: offer lemonade; write a sharp letter to the editor if the reporter actually came into the mayor’s bathroom at home, etc.
What do you think your mayor would do?
31 responses so far ↓
1 Joe Just Joe // May 2, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Frances stop peaking thru Gregor’s windows otherwise he’ll have no choice but to terminate his lease with the company that owns his house.
Anyone know if that company has bought a house recently in Victoria?
2 Richard // May 2, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Not sure what our mayor would do but I’m glad he is making news for standing up for the economy and environment of the region by opposing increased oil shipments instead of stories like this.
3 Paul T. // May 2, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Tough to say… If you were standing there with your bicycle, no helmet and a “ban tankers” sign… Not much.
If you were standing beside your car, he’d probably find out where you live and put a wheat field on your lawn. And give your neighbour a rooster to really tick you off.
4 Paul T. // May 2, 2012 at 9:56 pm
However, in all seriousness, taking issues to a politician’s private residence is just wrong. Reporter or not.
Manure George Puil can certainly relate the issues with people bringing political fights to politicians homes. He’s a good chap and even liked to play it up, but it’s a fine line between humour and harassing behavior.
I’d love to hear if those same reporters would be happy if Ford volunteers showed up at their homes, you know, just to see how they’re doing.
And no, I’m not sticking up for Ford specifically. But no matter how much you hate a politician, you never take your fight with their job to their home.
5 F.H.Leghorn // May 2, 2012 at 10:00 pm
@Paul T.#3: Now hang, I say, hang on there just a darned minute. I resent the implication that roosters carry ticks.
Remember: a woman needs a man like a chicken needs a bicycle.
6 Chris Keam // May 2, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Take a page from the Rocky Mountaineer dispute and play loud bagpipe music until the interloper left?
7 Richard // May 2, 2012 at 10:38 pm
@Paul T. 3
Great job of summarizing the NPA’s election campaign.
8 Silly Season // May 2, 2012 at 11:17 pm
I think that Mayor Gregor would ‘love-bomb’ the perp.
What that actually looks like is probably too horrible to contemplate.
But when I did, my musings took me to a Wikipedia reference on the subject. There were also a multitude of lyrics of a song by the very same name, amongst groups as diverse as AC/DC, N.E.R.D. and Girls Aloud.
I’ll let ya’ll go dig a little.
There’s virtually something for everyone’s tastes in the above offerings!
9 Chris B // May 3, 2012 at 7:05 am
This will only make sense to people who know Ottawa, but Mayor Jim Watson would be delighted. Nothing could make him happier.
Around these parts, we say that he would go to the opening of an envelope
10 seemsfair // May 3, 2012 at 9:44 am
Our (City of North Van), Mayor would take us on a tour of his laneway house, pointing out all the “green” amenities. Then, doubling on his mountain bike, we’d go hang out at his favorite coffee shop.
11 Higgins // May 3, 2012 at 10:27 am
“What would your mayor do to a reporter found standing somewhere near his/her personal residence?”
This question really sucks!
Why would any reporter stay outside in the miserable Vancouver weather to spy on Robertson? What’s hie after ? His brains, LOL?
12 Bill Lee // May 3, 2012 at 10:38 am
219 Edenbridge Way and Rob Ford wants to add to his odd shaped lot by taking land from Scarlett Mills Park in Etobicoke (now part of the amalgamated Toronto)?
His brother, city councilor and radio foghorn Doug Mills lives nearby.
I’m surprised they haven’t bought the entire block for privacy control.
from Wiki of Rob_Ford
Robert Bruce “Rob” Ford (born May 28, 1969) is a Canadian politician and businessman. He is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006. Ford was elected Mayor in the 2010 mayoral election, and took office on December 1 of that year. Ford’s father Doug Ford, Sr. was also a politician and his brother Doug is a Toronto city councillor.
I’m sure that, like David Suzuki’s waterfront place, Roberson has made sure that he has no garbage or that it is sorted and clean.
Once in the blue bags it becomes property of the city as the blue and yellow bags say.
And why would a Vancouver reporter bother. With a wild game camera, which all BCers have, attached to a street tree they could keep a 24 hour watch on the house.
But I bet Robertson never looks out the windows at all, too many mirrors in his house.
Has the VPD installed proximity sensors? “Poaching” spring guns?
Aerial Toronto shot picture and comments
http://twitter.com/#!/goldsbie/status/197918579226714112
Hashtag might be #TOPoli but see
cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/05/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-confronts-reports-twitter-reacts.html for your basic reactions to “omg Rob Ford”.
The vampire site and news aggregator Huffington Post puts up many tweets, 33 in a picture bar, and some in a scroll down.
huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/03/rob-ford-vs-daniel-dale-toronto-star_n_1474488.html#s=935154
You don’t have to join Twitter, it is a teensy fraction of the Intertube users and produces a fire-hose of drivel.
If you have nothing better to do, point your browser at:
Twitter.com/search-home
and do searches for Rob Ford or Topoli
Sigh!
13 Bill Lee // May 3, 2012 at 11:23 am
Shouldn’t the Globe and Mail freelancer Frances Bula have added a link to
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/ford-calls-in-police-after-altercation-with-star-reporter/article2420986/
a double bylined story ripped from the Toronto Star at 8 in the morning with only 1000 comments so far.
14 spartikus // May 3, 2012 at 11:37 am
Personally I’m wondering how the local blogosphere would react if Mayor Robertson attempted to purchase part of a public park in order to install a security fence.
Sturm und drang, methinks. Perhaps even the end of the world…
15 Bill Lee // May 3, 2012 at 11:46 am
@spartikus // May 3, 2012 at 11:37 am #13
The park area is about 15 x 15 metres and might be worth $140,ooo by one estimate in the fevered Toronto rant-and-discussion groups.
Part of the argument is about entitlement, as the Belmont Drive, or Angus Drive trees, or the barking of English Bay Park trees might be here.
16 Bill Lee // May 3, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I see that it is mapped as a comment on Wikimapia.org
“Coordinates: 43°40’38″N 79°30’40″W
Mayor Rob Ford’s House (Toronto, Ontario)
223 Edenbridge Drive Toronto ”
on the edge of James Garden
Wikimapia is a useful site for commented geographies (depending on when the site was discovered, so see the classic view as people soon tired of the work.)
17 MB // May 3, 2012 at 2:33 pm
What makes Daniel Dale so much less intimidating than Marg Delahunty? Ford appeared terrified of that apparition wielding a plastic sword and dangerously pointy conical breast plates (gimme a hug, Big Boy).
What we need is a test run with a Real Housewife of East Vancouver to gauge Gregor’s reaction.
Now, what would the issue be?
18 Morven // May 3, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Our Vancouver would quite simply invite the poseur in for a cup of tea. While I am often aghast at some Vision policies I never believed they were totally uncivil.
19 Silly Season // May 3, 2012 at 3:51 pm
@MB #16
There is NOTHING that will raise an angrier, non-gluten induced skin rash under the tatts of a Real Housewife Of East Vancouver faster than knowing that the local pool hall/cum art gallery/cum La Leche League meeting space on Commercial Drive is soon going to be redeveloped into the newest home of…the $3 doughnut!
20 Bill Lee // May 3, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Morven // May 3, 2012 at 3:21 pm #17
Civil?
Oh?
I could see the Effing Nazi/NPA grinding teeth in Mayor Robertson’s reply to Michael Howell today.
Robertson: http://www.vancourier.com/12th+Cambie+Mayor+Robertson+responds+tanker+challenge/6560432/story.html
The earlier question from Howell:
http://www.vancourier.com/12th+Cambie+Mayor+Robertson+what+your+alternative+crude+dude/6517931/story.html
I thought he had hangers-on to vet his
speeches/statements so we could have the semblance of gritted teeth and nasty comebacks.
Or do the hangers-on help him with unfunny, juvenile zingers.
Cue the “Untergang” video ( a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian drama film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel ) with new text.
21 ThinkOutsideABox // May 4, 2012 at 9:19 am
Or do the hangers-on help him with unfunny, juvenile zingers.
Bingo. And in the spirit of all of its sarcastic glory I’d just like to point out that the close up picture associated to the mayor’s response in The Courier shows the mayor’s metro-sexual like skin complexion, and containing more substance than what could be read.
22 Silly Season // May 4, 2012 at 9:41 am
Mayor Gregor complaining that the Courier’s reporter Mike Howell was “taking sides” in the oil-tankers-in-our-waters discussion:
Now THAT’S Ford-ian!
23 F.H.Leghorn // May 4, 2012 at 11:51 am
@Bill Lee#12: “radio foghorn”. Not, I say, not that that’s a bad thing.
24 F.H.Leghorn // May 4, 2012 at 12:03 pm
We had an example of the Mayor’s response to a crisis the night there was a gangland shoot-out in his neighborhood.
Mayor:(on phone) Joel? It’s me.
Joel: Me who?
Mayor: Me. Gregor.
Joel: Gregor?
Mayor: Gregor Robertson. Mayor Gregor Robertson. Standing up to the oil tankers like you said. Remember?
Joel: Right, right. So what’s up?
Mayor: Joel, you have to go to the safe room. A Suncor hit team is coming for me and you’re probably next on their list. Listen, Joel, remember what you said about taking care of my family if anything ever…Hello…Joel…Hello….we’ve been cut off
When the police arrived they found His Worship hiding under his bed wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Glen Beck and the slogan “If you’re so smart why aren’t you rich?”.
25 Guest // May 4, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Probably send the City Manager after you.
26 Dan Cooper // May 5, 2012 at 7:56 am
Wow! The part that blows my mind is Ford saying he wasn’t sure if he would hit the guy or not, and all his friends saying to Ford they were surprised Ford didn’t hit him. Talk about an out-of-control, anger freak. Thank God I don’t live in Toronto. I simply can’t see a mayor doing this, since I would think most of them want to maintain some kind of positive image; perhaps, of course, “angry and violent” is the image that he feels sells to his base. Then again, maybe he’s just an out-of-control anger freak. Sad either way.
Of course, it isn’t the first time something like this has happened with Ford. He also went nutso on the television comic who was dressed up in her shtick costume, looking completely unthreatening.
27 Andrew Browne // May 6, 2012 at 12:43 pm
@ Paul T. #4
The reason the reporter was anywhere near his home was because the Mayor applied to buy an adjacent piece of conservation land from the TRCA (Toronto Region Conservation Authority, I think). This, by the way, is apparently unprecedented, with the TRCA not having sold any land to the public in something like 21 years.
Mayor Ford has variously described the purpose for security and also to provide a bigger yard for his kids. Which… I guess overrides conservation and ravine protection?
He should not be applying for this while in office. Period. The potential for misdeeds is high.
28 Paul T. // May 7, 2012 at 10:24 am
@ Andrew #27
I’ll reiterate my point. I’m NOT sticking up for Ford on his plan to buy TRCA land, or for any other reason. The man seems to be a train wreck. But this story isn’t about the land. This is about an overzealous reporter who had a fairly good map of the area. Despite what Dale says, the CBC got a copy of the map and it very clearly shows the property is BESIDE Ford’s house, not BEHIND.
In his own words Dale says, “I understand fully why the mayor’s neighbours were concerned about my presence behind his property; the man has dealt with death threats, and they are protective of him.”
If you KNOW about this, how hard is it to pick up the phone and tell the mayor’s office that you will be out doing a story about the parcel of land? It’s not like Ford could cover it up with a tarp!
Is the Mayor a saint? God no. But this reporter IMHO was not out just to do a story, he was there to rile the mayor into a confrontation. And the mayor, protecting his family from a stalker, gave him just that.
29 Silly Season // May 7, 2012 at 2:17 pm
@Paul T #28
Word. All that, with a cherry on top. TO mayor is a train wreck–but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be afforded some common courtesies—like a phone call.
Have read that not even the Star’s readership approve of the reporter’s actions.
They’re not right all the time…
30 Andrew Browne // May 7, 2012 at 5:16 pm
@ Paul T #28
Agreed a phone call to the Mayor’s exec. asst. would have been a good idea. “Heads up, etc.”
31 Bill Lee // May 9, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Toronto police will not charge reporter Daniel Dale over Mayor Rob Ford incident
Toronto Star – 55 minutes ago 09 May 2012 13:30
Jennifer Yang Staff Reporter Police investigators have “found no evidence” that Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale was on the mayor’s property or looked over his fence last week and will not be charging him in connection with his well-publicized …
See all 46 sources »
http://news.google.ca/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ned=ca&ncl=dtVoW6kzdnxRw-MeFCHv-p7UEJFVM&topic=n
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