Candidates make last push in byelection to succeed Rob Ford

A member of the Ford family has represented Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) since 2000: first Rob Ford, then his brother Doug Ford, and then — following a cancer diagnosis that forced him to drop out of his mayoral re-election campaign — Rob Ford once again.

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The seat has been vacant since Rob Ford died in March, but there are 12 candidates vying to represent the district with voting day set for July 25.

Among them is Rob Ford's 22-year-old nephew, Michael Ford  — who resigned from his seat as school board trustee to campaign for the council seat less than halfway through his term.

Almost all frame the byelection race in terms of the Ford family: Michael Ford is promising to "carrying on his family's legacy" while other candidates say they are campaigning on a platform for change. 

Ford nation

While "public service" might be the traditional commitment offered by politicians, Rob Ford helped build the family brand within Etobicoke North by personally answering phone calls and showing up in person at the homes of constituents.

It's also the first plank in Michael Ford's platform and a theme he returns to throughout a recent interview with CBC News.

"The message to me is very clear. When they call me, they want me to show up at their door," he said. "That is my No. 1 commitment for every resident in the ward."

When asked about leaving his role as a trustee midway through his term, Ford said it's not a reflection of his commitment to that work. Instead he said he felt compelled to run for city council in Ward 2, while acknowledging the advantage that his family name affords him in the race.

But he said that the policies he'll advocate mirror those of his uncles: keeping taxes low while encouraging "sustainable development" although he does not go into great detail about what that latter might look like.

'A coherent alternative'

Candidate Christopher Strain, 31, meanwhile clearly positions himself as a contrast to the Fords. He has been endorsed by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, and identifies as a progressive who would like to see a substantial change of course in the ward.

He told CBC News that he decided to run because "I thought we needed a choice in Ward 2 — someone needed to present a coherent alternative to the cut-the-waste agenda." 

One policy Strain would change if elected is Ford's reluctance to get developers to contribute Section 37 funds — money that goes to community projects in exchange for being allowed to build developments that are larger than is routinely allowed. It's one strategy that can help Rexdale flourish, he maintains.

It's a strategy, however, that the younger Ford said he's open to as well.

Jeff Canning, 56, has also pitted himself against the legacy of the Fords, telling CBC News he decided to run to "restore some pride and prosperity" to Etobicoke North. The Fords are partially responsible for one of the biggest misconceptions about the community, he says, which is that "Ward 2 is guns and drugs and gangs, and it's not."

Canning is emphasizing his business experience in his campaign — he works as a management recruiter — and describes himself as socially centrist and fiscally "a bit more conservative." He sees vacant lots as opportunities to bring new development into the ward.

Chloe-Marie Brown, 25, spent her early childhood just across the ward boundary, in an apartment complex at Islington and Finch. But then, she says, in 2001 her mother decided to move the family to York Region, after the father of one of Chloe's friends was killed and "the neighbourhood began to change."

Brown spent two years working with the Toronto Youth Cabinet, serving as their director for policy and advocacy, and she doesn't shy away from saying Etobicoke North faces serious challenges. At the top of her list: "the obvious ones of poverty, unemployment and marginalization." Increasing the level of civic engagement and civic literacy is at the top of her priority list if elected.

Like her fellow candidates, she has serious reservations about the Ford family's brand of politics.

"I think they had good intentions," she said. "However they were not really outwards towards the community, but inwards towards building a political dynasty."