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).