Ford Nation

During his tumultuous term as mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford always stayed on message—saving taxpayers money and putting the brakes on the “gravy train” at city hall. He also returned every phone call, even showing up on people’s doorsteps late at night to help them with their problems. But despite his hard work to cut excessive spending and to address the city’s crumbling infrastructure, the media delighted in showcasing Ford’s most personal struggles instead. Reporters followed him to his car, onto his front lawn, and trailed behind while he trick-or-treated with his children. The city, the country, the entire world watched Rob Ford battle substance abuse, but they rarely saw or heard the real story behind Ford—the family man, the faithful public servant, the devoted husband, father, and brother who put the people of his city above all else. In Ford Nation, Doug Ford, Rob’s brother and most trusted advisor, shares the true story of the two brothers and the Ford family: from the early days of their parents’ marriage, as Diane and Doug Sr worked tirelessly to get their company, Deco Labels and Tags, off the ground; to the Etobicoke house filled with the Ford children; to Doug Sr’s entry into provincial politics, with Rob and Doug following in his footsteps, to city hall. Ford Nation recounts the triumphs and strug-gles of Rob and Doug in their own voices—as well as the voices of their mother, Diane, nephew Michael, Rob’s widow, Renata, and daughter, Stephanie—from knocking on doors as new candidates to knocking out opponents in council chamber debates. When Rob was forced to end his campaign to remain mayor of Toronto, Doug didn’t hesitate to jump into the race, and despite his very late start he almost pulled off an upset. Doug shares what life was like for the family during this difficult time, and what it was like in the final hour of Rob’s life, when he succumbed to cancer and became, in his daughter Stephanie’s words, “the mayor of heaven.” Drawing on a number of sources to share Rob’s life in his own words after he became too ill to continue working on the book, Ford Nation is the only book that accurately captures the entire account of Rob and Doug Ford and their fight to protect the rights of the little guy.

His drug and alcohol-fuelled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s personal and political troubles have occupied centre stage in North America’s fourth largest city since news broke that men involved in the drug trade were selling a videotape of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine. Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncovered disturbing details about the mayor’s past and embroiled the Toronto police, city councilors, and ordinary citizens in a raucous debate about the future of the city. Even before those explosive events, Ford was a divisive figure. A populist and successful city councillor, he was an underdog to become mayor in 2010. His politics and mercurial nature have split the amalgamated city in two. But there is far more to the story. The Fords have a long, unhappy history of substance abuse and criminal behavior. Despite their troubles, they are also one of the most ambitious families in Canada. Those close to the Fords say they often compare themselves to the Kennedys and believe they were born to lead. Regardless of whether the mayor survives the scandal, the Ford name is on the ballot in the mayoralty election of 2014. Fast-paced and insightful, Crazy Town is a page-turning portrait of a troubled man, a formidable family and a city caught in an jaw-dropping scandal.

Electing a Mega-Mayor represents the first-ever comprehensive, survey-based examination of a Canadian mayoral race and provides a unique, detailed account of the 2014 mayoral election in Toronto. After making the case that local elections deserve more attention from scholars of political behaviour, this book offers readers an understanding of Toronto politics at the time of the 2014 election and presents relevant background on the major candidates. It considers the importance that Torontonians attached to policy concerns and identifies the bases of support for the outgoing, scandal-ridden mayor, Rob Ford, and his brother Doug. In the penultimate chapter, the authors examine how Torontonians viewed their elected officials, and the city’s performance, two years after the election. McGregor, Moore, and Stephenson conclude with a reflection on what the analysis of the Toronto 2014 election says about voters in large cities in general and provide a short epilogue addressing the 2018 election results. Written in an accessible style, this is the first book on the politics of Toronto during the Ford era that focuses on the perspective of the voter.

The first book to go beyond the scandal and distraction of the world's most infamous local politician, and reveal what drives Rob Ford and the many voters who steadfastly support him. Eye-opening and at times frightening, The Only Average Guy cuts through the uproar that followed Ford everywhere. A journalist before entering politics, Filion peels back the layers of an extremely complicated man. Weaving together the personal and political stories, he explains how Ford's tragic weaknesses helped propel him to power before leading to his inevitable failure. Through Ford, the book also explains the growing North American phenomenon by which angry voters are attracted to outspoken candidates flaunting outrageous flaws. For fifteen years, Toronto city councillor John Filion has had an uncommon relationship with Rob Ford. Sitting two seats away from the wildly unpredictable councillor from Etobicoke, who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014, Filion formed an unlikely camaraderie that allowed him to look beyond Rob's red-faced persona, seeing a boy still longing for the approval of his father, struggling with the impossible expectations of a family that fancied itself a political dynasty.

When owning, training, riding, and showing horses, there is a certain “look” to which one aspires. World-class “turnout”—a horse in peak condition, perfectly coiffed and luminous with health, outfitted with gleaming and well-fit tack appropriate for his sport—can take your breath away. And while it can certainly play a significant role in a competitive rider’s success, it is just as appealing to have any horse “groomed to the nines,” whether he’s headed for an afternoon lesson or just out on the trail. Achieving this superior look is not just about clean tack, shiny brass, spotless stockings, or perfect braids. The most important steps are in the day-to-day nitty-gritty of grooming and caring for the horse: noticing “something not-quite-right” about the way the horse looks or moves before it becomes “something wrong”; brushing and combing and trimming a little every day so the horse’s skin and coat remain healthy; knowing how to prepare a horse properly for training, and how to cool him down afterward. Now, two of the best professional grooms in the business share their trade secrets, with over 1200 color photographs accompanying the ultimate modern-day guide for all riders who want their horses to look and feel their best.

Following widespread news that Toronto Police are in possession of the alleged Rob Ford crack cocaine video, there has never been a better time to read the essential backgrounder to Rob Ford's increasingly wild and erratic mayoralty. When people talk about recalling politicians, it's usually because the politician delivered something other than what they advertised, and the voters voted for--lies, frauds and infidelities. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, however, is exactly what the voters endorsed. They elected him with full knowledge of his obstreperous history as a city councillor, his inability to play well with others, his one-track mind and one-track message. His opponents warned voters that his platform was mostly wishful thinking. But Torontonians voted for him anyway. The story of Rob Ford is the story of what happens when voters--the supreme authority--throw a wrench into the gears of democracy and elect someone who can't govern, and manifestly never could. Ford's mayoralty has forced Toronto to reconsider questions that seemed settled long, long ago. What kind of city chose this man to take the helm? Where does a mayor derive his mandate--from the voters, the polls, or talk radio? Does it matter if a man is a national embarrassment if he's popular at home? Unwittingly, Ford has made possible a resurgence of the urban values that unite conservatives and liberals alike, galvanizing citizens in a way the city hasn't seen in some time. This is The Gift of Ford.

They’re laying off teachers at your child’s high school. The sex ed curriculum is right out of Father Knows Best. Health care workers are toast and folks who once worked with autistic kids are now Walmart greeters. Your local MPP has turned into a robot spouting whatever the Dear Leader tells her to. And trees and libraries are officially Public Enemies One and Two. But hey, you can go to your corner store and get beer for a buck, so who cares, right? Welcome to Doug Ford’s Ontario. So many things Ontarians have held sacred are under attack from the province’s new premier that sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh. That’s going to be slightly easier with a copy of Ford AbomiNation. Bestselling author Linwood Barclay’s satirical sendup of Ford Nation will put a smile on your face while you contemplate the end of everything that’s made Ontario such a great place to live.

Rob Ford—the most ridiculed and scandal-ridden mayor—is an international celebrity. When the photo of him smoking crack cocaine circulated, garnering billions of hits, it was the icing on the cake. Ford, not just the favorite buffoon of late-night comics and journalists, was also a known alcoholic and the subject of legal, political, and police investigations—stripped of his mayoral powers by Toronto’s City Council and a star subject in a murder investigation. Here for the first time, Ford’s former chief of staff Mark Towhey, who tried to wrangle Ford during his highly public meltdown, comes clean, filling in incredible behind-the-scenes details previously unknown and providing invaluable context. With this highly anticipated and much-talked-about tell-all, we go deep into Ford’s personal life, including his addictions and his rivalry with his brother; we watch him as he runs Toronto; we overhear hair-raising late-night phone calls and see private, after-hours events; and we also get the much-gossiped-about but little-known account of Towhey’s desperate struggle to protect the mayor from himself. This juicy read is, like Ford, political candy, but it doesn’t expose Ford for the sake of ridicule—it empathizes with him and explains him. It provides a fascinating portrait of twenty-first-century urban politics, as well as a character study of a larger-than-life personality, a mayor so colorful that he remains in office as a councillor and—despite it all—may one day become mayor again.