# Toronto Mayoral Race, 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 11, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171 "2014-09-11T12:57:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/1 "2014-09-11T12:57:14Z")
For those of you who have been following the Rob Ford Saga (see: [Toronto’s alleged crack smoking mayor. Why is he still in office?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=692099)), the municipal elections are in full swing, and Rob Ford is running. The other two main candidates are John Tory (former leader of the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario) and Olivia Chow (formerly involved in Toronto municipal politics from a leftist perspective; former NDP MP in the federal House of Commons who resigned her seat to run in the mayor election). An opinion poll released yesterday put Tory in first place with 40%; Ford in second, with 28%; Chow in third with 21%. Election day is October 27. Wiki article: [Toronto mayoral election, 2014](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_mayoral_election,_2014) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/2 "2014-09-11T14:06:43Z")
And a significant update: Rob Ford has been hospitalised because of a tumour in his lower left abdomen. Just going from news reports, it doesn’t sound good to me (layman’s opinion): - he’s had an abdominal pain for three months; - yesterday, the pain became “unbearable” and he went to the hospital, where the doctor found a tumour; - docs have kept him in hospital for tests; - Ford has previously had a tumour removed; - Ford’s father died of colon cancer. Hope I’m wrong and things work out well for him and his family. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/3 "2014-09-11T14:08:31Z")
A couple of news links: [Rob Ford’s tumour diagnosis and the future of Toronto’s race for mayor](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-s-tumour-diagnosis-and-the-future-of-toronto-s-race-for-mayor-1.2762825) [Rob Ford has tumour, faces test to determine its dangers](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/09/10/rob_ford_has_a_tumor_says_humber_river_hospital.html) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/4 "2014-09-11T14:16:58Z")
That other thread is pretty long. Does Rob Ford have naked pictures of 28% of Toronto’s registered voters? How is he still a plausible candidate? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/5 "2014-09-11T14:17:45Z")
Hospital spokesman comments: > [@](#): > > “Examination and investigation today reveal that he has a tumour,” said Humber River Hospital’s president and CEO Dr. Rueben Devlin. > > Doctors are still looking for a definitive diagnosis, Devlin said. It is not yet known what kind of tumour Ford has. > > A CT scan revealed it is in his abdomen, but a biopsy is still needed to determine the type of tumour — which Devlin said is “not small” — and whether it is malignant. Ford went to the hospital’s Church St. site in North York under his own power before being admitted. A “not small” tumour doesn’t sound good… ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/6 "2014-09-11T14:18:51Z")
I had just typed the words below when I read the two previous posts: “I never thought I’d see the day when a Toronto Mayor electoral race could be so much fun for the whole world to enjoy. Thank you, Toronto!” I guess it will not be so much fun now. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/7 "2014-09-11T14:28:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That other thread is pretty long. Does Rob Ford have naked pictures of 28% of Toronto’s registered voters? How is he still a plausible candidate? It used to be that Toronto was several different muncipalities: the downtown core was the City of Toronto, and it was surrounded by several suburban municipalities. There was a greater Toronto governing body, but the individual municipalities still had a lot of autonomy. Then several years ago, the Province amalgamated them all into one City of Toronto. There are a lot of inherent tensions between the downtown and the suburbs, and that’s what’s driving the mayoral politics. One dispute is over transit. The downtown core wants subway expansion, which is very expensive, but the outer areas don’t see that as benefitting them; just more taxes to benefit the core. The downtown core wants more funding on arts, public theatres, etc., but the outer areas don’t see that as benefitting them. The downtown core is seen as rich and elitist, while the suburbs are seen as middle-classs and everyday Joes. And so on. That tension is reflected in the mayoral politics. Ford is the candidate of the suburbs. He’s run very successfully on a “rein in the spending for the downtown and keep taxes low” platform, plus he does have a lot of personal popular appeal as an everyday kind of a guy (before all the coke and alcohol abuse stories started coming out). Ford may have major personal flaws, but he has done a good job of collecting support from the suburbs, not just on a personal level, but on issues that are important to them. Tory and Chow are both downtowners; Ford is the only viable candidate from the suburbs. I guess he still has a strong core of suburban support. It may be a “hold your nose and vote” kind of support, but it’s still there. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/8 "2014-09-11T14:40:50Z")
Is it a partisan election? Does his party really not have anyone else to offer? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/9 "2014-09-11T14:47:21Z")
Non-partisan. Anyone who gets enough signatures on the nomination papers can run. Although he says he represents “Ford Nation.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/10 "2014-09-11T14:56:48Z")
Since you’re a lawyer, I guess there’s a better than even chance that you’re part of the “downtown elite” rather than the “suburban plebes”. Does that mean you’re not voting for Ford? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/11 "2014-09-11T15:05:07Z")
Not voting for any of them, because I can’t. I’m two provinces over. It’s all just a fascinating political show for me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/12 "2014-09-11T15:05:40Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The downtown core is seen as rich and elitist, while the suburbs are seen as middle-classs and everyday Joes. Hm. How did that happen? In American cities, it is usually the reverse. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/13 "2014-09-11T15:06:26Z")
See location. It doesn’t say “Argoville”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/14 "2014-09-11T15:08:30Z")
You’re all French-speaking Eskimos to me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/15 "2014-09-11T15:14:17Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hm. How did that happen? In American cities, it is usually the reverse. Toronto has long billed itself as “The City that Works”. It’s never suffered from a major decay in the downtown core. That’s where things happen. Nor have we ever had the experience of “white flight” in Canadian cities. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/16 "2014-09-11T15:14:51Z")
It looks like John Tory is likely to be the next mayor - a man as exciting as his name. A return to Toronto the boring? We who live here certainly hope so. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/17 "2014-09-11T15:18:23Z")
It’s not a bad thing if your mayor is not featuring simultaneously on all the major US late night talk shows. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/18 "2014-09-11T16:07:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That other thread is pretty long. Does Rob Ford have naked pictures of 28% of Toronto’s registered voters? How is he still a plausible candidate? The US’s crazification factor is 27%. Why can’t Canada’s be 28%? With that name, John Tory’s political future was defined at birth, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/19 "2014-09-11T20:27:19Z")
Plus being a lawyer at the firm Torys LLP. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171/20 "2014-09-11T20:30:30Z")
[Mayor Ford has been moved from the Humber River Hospital to Mount Sinai, for further tests](http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/rob-ford-moved-to-mount-sinai-hospital-1.2002031). The deadline for any changes to the ballot was at 2 pm Ontario time today, and it looks like he’s still on the ballot. There was some speculation that his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, would take his place on the ballot, but doesn’t look like that’s happened. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-mayoral-race-2014/698171.md?page=2)