News   May 29, 2024
Concord Canada House Showcases Its Maple Leaf Motif
 1K     6 
News   May 29, 2024
Three Towers Proposed on Lake Shore near East Harbour Station
 2.4K     7 
News   May 29, 2024
News Roundup for May 29, 2024
 540     0 

Rob Ford's Toronto

Status
Not open for further replies.
Marko said:
lol.

Lastman and the Sheppard subway line? Miller banning already illegal handguns? Hall electioneering against the airport after supporting its expansion?

ALL politicians do things that someone would describe as self serving. It's just your bias that states that this is worse than anything else, when even adma can be reasonable and say that there is a case for the property to be looked at. It's not like the application said "I'm Rob f****g Ford and I want the land for $1" or something. It's not like he lives in subsidized housing while making a comfortable councilor's salary, or landing a sweetheart deal for a businessman in his ward whose dishwasher and hot dog flipper donated $500 to his campaign, or taking French lessons on the city's dime...
Click to expand...
How did Lastman personally benefit from the Sheppard subway? He didn't. He lives at St. Clair and Yonge, How does Miller personally benefit from banning illegal handguns? Ford will personally benefit from getting additional land. He gives his number out freely, even mentioend on the show today anyone can cone by his house, just knock on the door. I mean really. The guy that broke into his home was a domestic situation involving his sister. Why should he get security over a domestic situation?
 
As I stated here not so long ago I'll reiterate, I believe that he's a man nearing the edge and he's not thinking clearly nor acting as a responsible civic leader should. We just had an unusual quiet two weeks without him making headlines and here we are again, two media storms in one week - back to the new normal. By the very fact that he asked his family if he should step down as Mayor speaks volumes.
 
Ah hah! Gotcha' Robbie boy! ... Thanks to the Toronto Star we hear, right from Ford's mouth, exactly what he intends to do if he is able to buy that piece of land around his home, and it has NOTHNG to do with security. He is blatantly LYING (through his representative, a real estate agent) as to why he's looking to make the purchase. Here you go:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article...mments-at-hearing-on-bid-to-buy-parkette?bn=1
 
Last edited:
Funny how the agent says that tearing down the existing solidly-built home is stupid; yet as we all know from witnessing McMansionvilles in real time, there's been plenty of solidly-built homes stupidly removed in recent times...
 
Technically, the agent isn't lying for Ford. Ford is stupid, so tearing down the house would be perfectly acceptable.

Tee said:
Ah hah! Gotcha' Robbie boy! ... Thanks to the Toronto Star we hear, right from Ford's mouth, exactly what he intends to do if he is able to buy that piece of land around his home, and it has NOTHNG to do with security. He is blatantly LYING (through his representative, a real estate agent) as to why he's looking to make the purchase. Here you go:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article...mments-at-hearing-on-bid-to-buy-parkette?bn=1
Click to expand...
 
I'm no fan of Rob Ford, but I can see where he's coming from with respect to the confrontation with the reporter. Yes, the park is public space and yes, it's not illegal to take photos in a public place, but I don't think it's unreasonable for the mayor, or any public/political figure, to be legitimately wary of unwelcome guests snooping around their home. I'm not claiming that the reporter did anything illegal, but it was probably not the best way to go about it. Sure, Ford knew the reporter from City Hall, but he wouldn't have known that when his neighbour told him that "someone" was snooping around his house, and of course he'd be all riled up by the time he got outside. The reporter had to have had some sense that a confrontation was possible. Why not take the high road and do the courteous thing by preemptively knocking on the front door and saying: "Hi, I'm from the Star. I know you don't like us, but I'm going to be snapping some pictures of the land adjacent to your house for a story we're doing on your proposed severance of public land. If you have a problem with that, I can't help you." What's Ford going to do at that point, grumble and slam the door? It just doesn't seem professional to me on the part of the reporter (whether or not the subject being covered is our oafish buffoon of a mayor).
 
Bad idea. If the reporter had knocked on the door he would have actually been on Ford's property, already knowing that he wasn't welcome. I think Ford's reaction would have been just as threatening.

The issue here isn't that Ford was upset to find someone snooping around behind his backyard - that's not a completely unreasonable feeling. What is newsworthy here (aside from the part about him trying to buy public land) is the extremity of his reaction. It's classic Ford, but completely unacceptable behaviour.
 
I don't understand why Rob Ford doesn't just move to a bigger house on a bigger, more secluded lot in the same neighbourhood so he can keep his kids in the same school and still live close to Doug and his mother. He's got the money.

I see two possible explainations.

Perhaps this is just another manifestation of his stubbornness.

But the sinister angle "of step 1: buy undervalued house, step 2: move to purchase public property next door, step 3: build new McMansion on combined land and come out ahead" is now very much a possibility.
 
Last edited:
Did you listen to the audio?
He's relishing the fact that, if his plan works out, he will have gotten a great deal and he'll profit enourmously. The trump card he thinks he holds is that if he can successfully acquire the adjacent parkland he will increase the FSR (floor space ratio) of his lot thus enabling him to build a huge McMansion (not possible on the existing lot based on it's square footage). He will have effectively bought a ravine lot for a bargain price that, once increased in size by the described piece of parkland, will be worth millions.
 
ttk77 said:
Is this the rumoured story that was referred to upthread?
Click to expand...

I don't think so. From the grave tones in which those in the know (nb: I am not in this group) have hinted at the upcoming story, it sounds a great deal bigger. Also, apparently The Star's Robyn Doolittle is the author of the bombshell-to-be, not Rider as above.

Reading the tea leaves a bit, my guess is the story has something to do with Ford's domestic life, hence the initial assumption on the part of his team that Daniel Dale's presence near his home was part of the larger file, rather than due to the land purchase proposal. But I am in the dark.

Depending on what this is, I hope The Star treads carefully. So far revelations of Ford's many personal problems seem to have mostly helped him. I'm reminded of Al Franken's advice to fellow Democrats about ridiculing Republicans' intellect--something along the lines of, 'don't make fun of a politician for getting Cs in school--lots of voters got Cs in school!'
 
Ramako said:
I'm no fan of Rob Ford, but I can see where he's coming from with respect to the confrontation with the reporter. Yes, the park is public space and yes, it's not illegal to take photos in a public place, but I don't think it's unreasonable for the mayor, or any public/political figure, to be legitimately wary of unwelcome guests snooping around their home. I'm not claiming that the reporter did anything illegal, but it was probably not the best way to go about it. Sure, Ford knew the reporter from City Hall, but he wouldn't have known that when his neighbour told him that "someone" was snooping around his house, and of course he'd be all riled up by the time he got outside. The reporter had to have had some sense that a confrontation was possible. Why not take the high road and do the courteous thing by preemptively knocking on the front door and saying: "Hi, I'm from the Star. I know you don't like us, but I'm going to be snapping some pictures of the land adjacent to your house for a story we're doing on your proposed severance of public land. If you have a problem with that, I can't help you." What's Ford going to do at that point, grumble and slam the door? It just doesn't seem professional to me on the part of the reporter (whether or not the subject being covered is our oafish buffoon of a mayor).
Click to expand...

Since it is still parkland (at this writing) anyone can picnic on it. They can let their kids play on the grass. And take pictures, as families normally do. Pictures of the family, pictures of the trees, pictures of the birds, pictures of the insects. But if the pictures includes part of the house or the people on the other side of the fence, it looks like we could get in trouble just because Rob Ford lives on the other side of the fence.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top