'An overwhelming number of Torontonians loved him': City council names stadium after Rob Ford
In a 17 to 6 vote on Friday, councillors approved renaming the stadium in Etobicoke’s Centennial Park after Rob Ford, who died of cancer in 2016.
Thestar.com
Dec. 19, 2023
Ben Spurr
Nine years after Rob Ford crashed out of the mayor’s office leaving a trail of scandal behind him, Toronto city council has voted to honour the polarizing populist.
In a 17 to 6 vote on Friday, councillors approved renaming the stadium in Etobicoke’s Centennial Park after Ford, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 46 after leading the most chaotic mayoralty in modern Toronto history.
The proposal was backed by Mayor Olivia Chow, but opposed by a handful of her fellow progressives on council.
Councillors who spoke in favour of the plan argued that other Toronto mayors have been memorialized with parks and public squares, and Ford should be no different. They said his legendary dedication to personally helping constituents shouldn't be overshadowed by what they described as his "personal" problems.
Opponents argued that Ford, who was mayor from 2010 to 2014 and became world famous for being filmed smoking crack cocaine and a slew of other controversies that included racist and misogynist behaviour, was at best a contentious figure, and the city should consult the public before putting his name on public property.
Coun. Anthony Perruzza (Humber River-Black Creek), who backed the renaming, said there was no need to seek residents' feedback about it because Ford's victory in the 2010 mayoral election showed “an overwhelming number of Torontonians loved him.”
“If he hadn’t died he might still be mayor," Perruzza claimed.
"To say he was passionate doesn't begin to describe his true love for the city and the work that he did," said Coun. Vince Cristani (Etobicoke North), who fondly recalled watching Ford dial through a clipboard full of phone numbers of residents who had reached out for his help.
"His dedication, commitment and love for public service, coupled with his love for football, makes this item a no-brainer to support," Crisanti said.
But Coun. Dianne Saxe (University-Rosedale) countered that "there isn't anyone in this city more divisive than Rob Ford," and it was irresponsible of council to make what many residents would consider a "despicable decision" without consultation.
She asserted that honouring Ford "would to make a mockery of what we say we stand for," noting that after taking office in July Chow led council in declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic.
In 2008 while an Etobicoke councillor, Ford was charged with assault and uttering a death threat against his wife. The charges were withdrawn.
Coun. Amber Morley (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) tried to pump the brakes on the renaming by moving a motion that asked the city to conduct a review in accordance with its naming policy and report back by the third quarter of 2024.
By not consulting residents on the idea of Rob Ford Stadium, "we're not providing Torontonians the opportunity to share the impacts, both positive and negative, that this commemoration would have on them," she said.
Her motion was voted down.
Morley and Saxe were joined by councillors Ausma Malik, Alejandra Bravo, Josh Matlow and Lily Cheng in voting against the renaming, which was proposed in a motion by Paul Ainslie and seconded by Shelley Carroll.
Gord Perks, a staunch left-leaning critic of the late conservative mayor when Ford was at city hall, was among those who voted for the renaming.
The vote to approve the plan took place in the same chamber that a decade ago was the scene of a tumultuous meeting at which Ford barrelled into a colleague and vowed "outright war" as members stripped him of most of his powers, following his admissions to smoking crack, purchasing illegal drugs and getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.
Ainslie, Perks and Carroll were among five councillors who in 2017 voted against renaming the stadium after Ford when the idea was defeated despite the backing of then mayor John Tory, but supported it this time around.
The reversal comes less than three weeks after Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Chow reached an agreement on a deal that will provide up to $9 billion in financial relief to Toronto to address its budget crisis.
As the Star previously reported, Ainslie told Chow about Premier Ford’s desire to have the stadium named after his brother in early November, at the time when she was in critical negotiations with the province over the deal.
Both she and the premier's office say said her support for the idea isn't related to those talks, and that the issue wasn't raised during negotiations.
Chow didn't speak to the motion on Friday, but earlier this week said she was backing it because she knows how it feels to lose a loved one. Her husband, former federal NDP leader Jack Layton, died in 2011.
Saxe said that if Chow's assertions that there was no link between the city-provincial deal and rechristening the stadium were correct, there was no rush to approve the renaming. But, she said, if the premier is using the deal to pressure the city to "rename a public asset ... in a way which is extremely divisive in order to give a personal benefit to his immediate family, that's wrong."
In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Premier Ford thanked Chow and other councillors "for honouring Rob's memory."
"Rob loved his community and he loved football, especially inspiring young people through his love of coaching," he wrote. "I'm so grateful."
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