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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Doug actually worked (works?) at Deco. Randy would be in overall charge, Doug did business development (sales and marketing), and there would be trusted managers to do the day-to-day work. Labels are everywhere, especially commercially, but they're innocuous - you don't think about the label on the jar of pickles, but the neither the pickle company nor the jar company created the label themselves. The "Deco as front for drugs" comments can't stand up in the extreme way they're being posted - certainly, any extra-curricular activities could take place there, as in any private company, but there's no way that the labels aren't the main focus. (Deco also makes a boatload at election time, doing election signs, magnets, and many ads for candidates of all stripes - they take everyone's money.)

The situation with Rob is not unusual in a family-run company where some family members do the actual work, and some don't. In Rob's case, they tried him out in a position, he was found wanting and disinterested, and it was in no one's interest (Rob's or the company's) to force him to be there on a full-time basis. So, he gets an allowance (his CFO's salary and whatever dividends or other distributions the company may make), the house is paid for (but not huge, because the rest of the family is paying for it), and he got another job (the councillor position, to which he's not unsuited, and the mayoralty, which is too much for him). He "earns" his CFO salary by attending occasional management meetings, says yes or no based on what the operating managers recommend, and signs some cheques. Under tax laws, that's enough to show that he earns his employment income, and that enables Deco to legitimately pay him some employment income.

His brothers would earn much more, since they actually work in Deco's print and label operations. But, they won't leave him too far under their standard of living, so he has a modest(-ish) house - probably similar to the type of house their sister lives in.

(And if his penury as a councillor wasn't a complete act, which appears somewhat likely given the small size of his staff over that time, then he also is pretty tight with his money anyway, so he would also choose a more modest house.)
 
Jado said:
Here's one thing (among many) that I don't understand - Patriarch Ford was a politician to whom all his children looked up and whom at least two sought to emulate, both personally and professionally. High praise, on the surface. But really, the man has raised four ... rather shady and controversial kids. What gives here? What kind of a politician was Doug Ford Sr. (and i'm asking in the qualitative sense)? Perhaps the more onerous question is, what kind of a FATHER was Doug Ford Sr.?

Hope this isn't too off-topic, I'm just seeking insights into this madness.
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If we're going to go bonkers with speculation (it's happened many a time in the thread!), we might as well put out the "impossible to prove, but it's possible" theory that Deco is smuggling drugs into the country. If that's true, I would posit that it's probably how Doug Jr. got his blocks of hash when he was in his youth. If that's true, it stands to reason that it's entirely possible the entire thing as Doug Sr's operation, back in the days when it was probably easier to be a crooked cop/politician... enough buddies in high places, turning a blind eye, and you and said buddies can do quite well for yourselves.
 
Jimmi T said:
It was Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute and then around '97 it became Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy. That's when they began wearing uniforms and dropped sports programs, including Ford's football program. Everyone used to call it Second Chance High because that's where a lot of delinquents like Sandro went when they dropped out or were pushed out of other higher quality schools. Small grade nine and 10 classes but lots of people in higher grades back then.
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I think my joke may have been missed by you - the initials of the school spell out SHIT
 
Jado said:
Here's one thing (among many) that I don't understand - Patriarch Ford was a politician to whom all his children looked up and whom at least two sought to emulate, both personally and professionally. High praise, on the surface. But really, the man has raised four ... rather shady and controversial kids. What gives here? What kind of a politician was Doug Ford Sr. (and i'm asking in the qualitative sense)? Perhaps the more onerous question is, what kind of a FATHER was Doug Ford Sr.?
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From everything I've heard, he was a strict, cold man and his kids had to fight for his love and attention. And as many kids looking for love and attention do, they ultimately seek it out in negative ways outside of the family circle. It's easy to make adults of childhood parental neglect look like victims, but ultimately they grow into adults and need to take responsibility for their future, as well as their mental well-being.

I had a father like that. My brother turned to drugs, theft from family members, etc. and at age 37 after numerous evictions, loss of custody of his kid, is now back to living with and being supported by our mother (for the fifth time, I think) and dragged his girlfriend with him. My mother lives on a small divorce settlement, some disability and despite health problems galore, works a part time job as a cashier at Wal-Mart to support them all. It's not a situation I'm particularly pleased with, but she has her own issues to deal with that enable him.

I took a non-criminal path. I turned inward and became the kid who—despite being in the gifted program—skipped classes, ignored teachers and failed classes that otherwise would've been a breeze for me. The only classes I ever chose to do well in were the ones I actually cared to pay attention to (mostly arts and some science). I did at least have the luck to see a school psychologist for a while, and I think that helped me understand that the problem lay in my seeking attention from someone unwilling to give it, and that while he would never change, I would have to. And I did.

The Fords unfortunately, also grew up with immense privilege. I think their daddy issues were compounded by being coddled by a mother who over-compensated, making for kids who display signs of both entitlement and sociopathy. It's creepy and messed up.
 
zang said:
From everything I've heard, he was a strict, cold man and his kids had to fight for his love and attention. And as many kids looking for love and attention do, they ultimately seek it out in negative ways outside of the family circle. It's easy to make adults of childhood parental neglect look like victims, but ultimately they grow into adults and need to take responsibility for their future, as well as their mental well-being.

I had a father like that. My brother turned to drugs, theft from family members, etc. and at age 37 after numerous evictions, loss of custody of his kid, is now back to living with and being supported by our mother (for the fifth time, I think) and dragged his girlfriend with him. My mother lives on a small divorce settlement, some disability and despite health problems galore, works a part time job as a cashier at Wal-Mart to support them all. It's not a situation I'm particularly pleased with, but she has her own issues to deal with that enable him.

I took a non-criminal path. I turned inward and became the kid who—despite being in the gifted program—skipped classes, ignored teachers and failed classes that otherwise would've been a breeze for me. The only classes I ever chose to do well in were the ones I actually cared to pay attention to (mostly arts and some science). I did at least have the luck to see a school psychologist for a while, and I think that helped me understand that the problem lay in my seeking attention from someone unwilling to give it, and that while he would never change, I would have to. And I did.

The Fords unfortunately, also grew up with immense privilege. I think their daddy issues were compounded by being coddled by a mother who over-compensated, making for kids who display signs of both entitlement and sociopathy. It's creepy and messed up.
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A very sensitive and thoughtful post, zang. :)
 
Jimmi T said:
It was Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute and then around '97 it became Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy. That's when they began wearing uniforms and dropped sports programs, including Ford's football program. Everyone used to call it Second Chance High because that's where a lot of delinquents like Sandro went when they dropped out or were pushed out of other higher quality schools. Small grade nine and 10 classes but lots of people in higher grades back then.
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But for a time it was officially called S.H.I.T. When was that?
 
r937 said:
that's a horribly inaccurate headline

it was caught on audio, not video

the video of the countertop, or whatever it was, was as exciting as watching paint dry
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Most of it is audio with a less than pleasant viewing experience but you do see (at 1:06) David Price leaving and saying "fuck off".
 
Ford Sr was a one term politician, mostly a PC backbencher. His riding was one of the ridings that was abolished when Harris "reduced" government. I have a feeling though that the position didn't offer the power he was wanting, and he found more power in political donations than in being a politician himself.
I also suspect that he was not a law abiding citizen (Neo Conservative, above the law kinda guy). That's the only way to explain how all four of his kids have turned out the way they are.
 
A psychological analysis of why voters elected this man and why they might elect him again would be more valuable than trying to armchair Freud the dynamics of the Ford family. What's our problem, and how does it relate to our daddies? Up thread it was asked why Bill Blair hasn't made more clear moves after learning that the Mayor was associating with criminals and drug dealers. It was asked last night how anyone could remain on his staff knowing his character and activities. But what about Cllrs. Grimes, Crawford, Cristiani, Palacio, Nunziata, Kelly, Thompson, Di Giorgio, and others who continue to enable him? Even those councillours who naturally oppose the Fords mostly stick to their gamebooks, trying vainly to maintain the dignity of the offices and not get too personal. Vaughan, Carrol, and Matlow may use his troubles to make snarky asides, but that's what they do, few are standing up and putting themselves on the line to say it's unacceptable for a Mayor to have the friendships and activities he apparently does, that it's unacceptable to refuse to answer questions and run from the media, that it's unacceptable for him to be as delinquent in his work as he is. Why was Josh Colle up to take a trade junket to another city in another country with a Mayor he should regard as a stain on this city? Everyone seems to be able to tolerate him or simply avoid and ignore him as he is as long as there is some benefit to them to do so. The only councillors I've seen speak in anyway frankly about the Mayor and his behaviors are Minnan-Wong and Robinson (and maybe Ainslie, but that was more a reaction to being knee-capped by the Fords).
 
next_to_herb said:
(And if his penury as a councillor wasn't a complete act, which appears somewhat likely given the small size of his staff over that time, then he also is pretty tight with his money anyway, so he would also choose a more modest house.)
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I don't know if that's correct. Wasn't it in the news that he wanted to buy parkland behind his house so that he could tear his bungalow down and build much larger home in its place?
 
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