Rob Ford

Early Life and Business Career

Rob Ford was born in 1969 in Etobicoke, Ontario, as the youngest of four children to Douglas Bruce Ford and Ruth Diane Ford. His father was a co founder of the successful family business, Deco Labels and Tags, a manufacturer of pressure sensitive labels with estimated annual sales of $100 million. Douglas Ford Sr. also served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Humber from 1995 to 1999. Ford attended Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute, where he aspired to become a professional football player, a dream his father supported by funding his attendance at specialized camps run by the University of Notre Dame and the NFL's Washington Redskins. After high school, Ford enrolled at Carleton University in Ottawa to study political science and made the university football team, though he never played in a game. He left Carleton after one year without completing his degree and returned to Toronto to take a sales job at the family's label manufacturing company. Following his father's death in 2006, Ford, alongside his brothers and mother, remained a director of Deco Labels through the family holding corporation, Doug Ford Holdings.

Entry into Politics and City Council Tenure

Rob Ford first sought elected office in the 1997 municipal election, placing fourth in Ward 3 Kingsway Humber. He successfully ran for Toronto City Council three years later in the 2000 election, winning Ward 2 Etobicoke North with an endorsement from the Toronto Star and defeating incumbent Elizabeth Brown. He was re elected in 2003 with 80 percent of the vote and again in 2006 with 66 percent. His ward was a diverse, mixed income area in northwest Toronto with a population over 50,000, where 53 percent were immigrants, the largest group being South Asians. The ward faced challenges including gang violence, with six murders recorded in 2000 alone. Ford established a reputation as a fierce critic of council spending and a politician who prioritized constituent service, often personally returning calls to address local issues like potholes. A 2005 test by radio station AM 640, where a reporter posed as a resident reporting a pothole after hours, found Ford was one of only three councillors to return the call personally within a day.

Ford's council tenure was marked by passionate, often confrontational budget debates. During the 2001 deliberations, with the city facing a major shortfall, he was one of only four councillors to vote against a five percent property tax increase. He proposed cutting each councillor's $200,000 office budget, travel funds, and other perks, claiming such cuts could save $100 million. Ford famously used almost none of his own office budget, submitting expenses of only ten dollars for his first year and four dollars for his second. His style led to heated exchanges, including a 2002 argument with Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti where Ford was accused of making a racist remark, which he vehemently denied. Throughout his time on council, Ford made several controversial statements that later resurfaced, including 2006 comments arguing against city funding for AIDS prevention and a 2008 remark referring to Oriental people that he later apologized for, stating he intended it as a compliment.

• 1997: First run for council in Ward 3 Kingsway Humber. Places fourth.
• 2000: Elected to Toronto City Council for Ward 2 Etobicoke North.
• 2003: Re elected with 80% of the vote.
• 2006: Re elected with 66% of the vote.
• 2008: Charged with assault and threatening his wife. Charges were later dropped.

2010 Mayoral Election and Platform

Ford successfully ran for mayor in the 2010 municipal election on a populist platform of fiscal conservatism, famously promising to stop the gravy train at city hall. His key campaign pledges included cancelling the $60 vehicle registration tax, privatizing garbage collection, holding property tax increases below the rate of inflation, and expanding subway transit over light rail. He defeated main opponents George Smitherman and Joe Pantalone with 383,501 votes, or 47 percent of the total. Voter turnout was around 52 percent, the highest in Toronto's post amalgamation history. Ward by ward results showed Ford won all of the former pre amalgamation suburban areas, while Smitherman topped districts in the old City of Toronto. Notably, scandals that emerged during the campaign, including a past conviction for driving under the influence and being banned from a high school coaching role, appeared to benefit Ford, increasing his vote share and campaign donations.

Mayoralty and Policy Achievements

Rob Ford's inauguration in December 2010 was introduced by television personality Don Cherry, whose speech praising Ford and criticizing left wing kooks set a contentious tone. His early term saw city council largely support his agenda. At its first meeting, council voted to cancel the vehicle registration tax, a key campaign promise that took effect on January 1, 2011. In 2011, Ford privatized garbage collection west of Yonge Street, expanding a service already in place in Etobicoke. His first budget held property tax increases to zero, and subsequent increases were kept below the rate of inflation. Council also voted under his leadership to declare the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service, preventing strikes. Ford reduced, but could not completely eliminate, the land transfer tax implemented by the previous Miller administration. A significant transit policy shift occurred in the summer of 2013 when council endorsed Ford's plan to cancel the Transit City light rail plan and build the Scarborough Subway Extension instead, fulfilling a major campaign promise. This project later received provincial and federal funding and was approved. However, council later rejected other Ford transit proposals, including a plan to put the entire Eglinton Crosstown LRT route underground. Ford's time as mayor was also marked by the influential presence of his brother, Doug Ford, who served as the city councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North from 2010 to 2014. Near the end of Ford's term, council voted to strip him of many mayoral powers and transfer them to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, a move spurred by Ford's personal problems and the crack cocaine scandal.

Personal Controversies and Scandal

Ford's mayoralty was dominated by a series of personal controversies and a substance abuse scandal that garnered worldwide attention. His struggles with alcohol and drug addiction worsened after his father's death in 2006 and led to public episodes, such as a 2006 incident where he was reported to be intoxicated and using profanity at a Toronto Maple Leafs game. In 2013, reports emerged of a video showing Ford smoking crack cocaine. After initially denying the allegations, he admitted to using the drug while in a state of severe intoxication but refused to resign. This led Toronto City Council to vote in November 2013 to hand over many of his powers and office staff to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly for the remainder of his term. Ford later took a leave of absence in May and June 2014 to enter a drug rehabilitation program. Ford also faced several domestic disturbance calls to police from his Etobicoke home. In 2008, he was charged with assault and threatening to kill his wife, though the Crown later dropped the charges, citing credibility issues with the allegations. Police were called to his home again on Christmas Day 2011 over concerns he had been drinking and intended to take his children to Florida against his wife's wishes. Further domestic incident calls occurred in 2012 and August 2013, though no charges were filed in any of these later incidents. Separately, in 2012, Ford was ordered removed from office by Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland for violating Ontario's Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, though this decision was later overturned on appeal, allowing him to remain mayor.

2014 Election, Illness, and Death

Ford registered as a candidate for re election as mayor in January 2014. After his leave for rehab, he returned to the campaign trail in July and was polling in second place behind John Tory. On September 12, 2014, he abruptly withdrew his candidacy after being hospitalized and diagnosed with a malignant abdominal tumour. His brother, Doug Ford, registered to run for mayor in his place, while Rob Ford registered instead to run for his old city council seat in Ward 2 Etobicoke North. In the October 27 election, John Tory was elected mayor with 40 percent of the vote, defeating Doug Ford, who received 33 percent. Rob Ford was successfully elected to council with 58 percent of the vote in Ward 2. His term as mayor ended on November 30, 2014, and he returned to council while undergoing treatment for pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Ford was able to return briefly to council duties but died on March 22, 2016, after chemotherapy proved ineffective. He had stated an intention to run for mayor again in 2018.

Personal Life and Football Foundation

In August 2000, Ford married Renata Brejniak, whom he had met in high school, at All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Etobicoke. The couple had two children, Stephanie and Doug, and lived in Etobicoke until Ford's death. His daughter Stephanie would later be elected to the executive committee of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 2026. A significant part of Ford's personal life was his volunteer work coaching high school football. He first coached at Newtonbrook Secondary School in 2001 until a dispute led to his dismissal. He then coached at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School from 2001 until 2013, when the Toronto Catholic District School Board dismissed him after a controversial television interview prompted a review. Ford had personally donated $20,000 to equip the Don Bosco team and founded the Rob Ford Football Foundation to fund football teams at other underprivileged schools struggling with costs.

Electoral History

Rob Ford's electoral career spanned nearly two decades, from his first failed attempt at a council seat to his successful mayoral run and final return to council. His voting base was consistently strongest in Toronto's suburban wards, particularly in Etobicoke. The following table outlines the key results from his major campaigns for council and mayor. His 2000 victory was considered an upset, and his 2010 mayoral win demonstrated strong support in the city's outer suburbs.

Questions about Rob Ford

What was the crack cocaine scandal involving Rob Ford?

In 2013, reports surfaced of a video that allegedly showed Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. After initially denying the allegations, Ford later admitted to using the drug while in a state of severe intoxication. The scandal led to intense national and international media scrutiny and a significant erosion of his political authority. In response, Toronto City Council voted in November 2013 to strip Ford of many of his mayoral powers and transfer them, along with most of his office staff, to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly for the remainder of his term.

What were Rob Ford's main policies as mayor of Toronto?

As mayor, Rob Ford implemented a fiscally conservative platform centred on cutting costs and taxes. His key policy achievements included cancelling the $60 vehicle registration tax, partially privatizing garbage collection west of Yonge Street, and holding property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation. On transit, he successfully pushed council to cancel the Transit City light rail plan and endorse the Scarborough Subway Extension fulfilling one of Ford's main campaign promises. This project was later approved and received funding both provincially and federally. He also led council to declare the TTC an essential service to prevent strikes and worked to reduce the land transfer tax implemented by the previous administration.

Did Rob Ford have any family members in politics?

Yes, politics was a family affair for the Fords. Rob Ford's father, Douglas Ford Sr., served as a Progressive Conservative MPP from 1995 to 1999. His older brother, Doug Ford, served as the Toronto city councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North during Rob's term as mayor and later became the Premier of Ontario. Doug also ran for mayor of Toronto in 2014 after Rob withdrew due to illness. Rob Ford's daughter, Stephanie Ford, was elected to the executive committee of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 2026.

What was the Rob Ford Football Foundation?

The Rob Ford Football Foundation was a charitable initiative Ford started to fund football programs at underprivileged Toronto high schools. It grew from his personal passion for coaching and his own donations, such as $20,000 to equip the team at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School where he volunteered for over a decade. The foundation aimed to provide equipment and support for schools that struggled to afford the costs of fielding a football team. His coaching work ended in 2013 when the school board dismissed him from his volunteer role following a controversial television interview.

What was Rob Ford's cause of death?

Rob Ford died on March 22, 2016, after chemotherapy was ineffective in treating his cancer. He was diagnosed with an abdominal tumour in September 2014, which was subsequently confirmed to be pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare cancer. This diagnosis forced him to withdraw from the 2014 mayoral election. Ford received treatment for the cancer and was able to return briefly to his duties as a city councillor.

Why was Rob Ford removed from office by a judge in 2012?

Rob Ford was ordered removed from office by Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland for violating Ontario's Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The decision was related to Ford's actions concerning donations solicited for his football foundation. The judge concluded that Ford had put his personal interests above the people he was elected to serve. This ruling was later overturned on appeal, allowing Ford to return to the mayor's office. The episode was a significant controversy during his mayoralty.

Sources and further reading

• Rob Ford (Wikipedia)
• Rob Ford put his personal interests above the people he ... (ufcw.ca)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-18.