Doug Ford: Running on his record?
A number of Guelph-Humber students drive by the Woodbine Racetrack every day while commuting to and from school. When doing so, they’re likely to notice a large, empty field right next to the racetrack.
It may surprise you to know that just a couple of years ago, this field was the site of a proposed $1 billion development project.
The project was called Woodbine Live, and it was first funded by Toronto City Council in 2008. The plan was to build retail stores, restaurants and a hotel next to the racetrack, which would lead to hundreds of new jobs being created in Ward 2 of the Etobicoke North neighbourhood.
When current Toronto mayoral candidate Doug Ford, who did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this article, was elected city councillor for Ward 2 in 2010, he vowed that the project would be completed. This promise formed the focal point of his job creation platform.
Unfortunately, the project fell through in 2013, when city council voted against placing a casino at Woodbine. The decision proved to be too discouraging for the intended developer of the project, The Cordish Companies, who backed out shortly after.
Andray Domise, a Ward 2 city council candidate in the upcoming municipal election, blames both Doug Ford and his brother, Mayor Rob Ford, for the project’s failure.
“The vote came not very long after [Ford’s] crack tape was released,” Domise said. “A lot of city councillors ended up distancing themselves [from the Fords].”
Domise said that the failed Woodbine Live development was an example of “a tremendous lack of representation and lack of voice being heard at City Hall, here in Ward 2,” which Domise said was evident throughout Doug Ford’s time as city councillor.
Statistics show that Domise may have good reason to be angry with Ford’s lack of representation of Ward 2.
Ford had the third-worst attendance rate amongst city councillors this term, including missing more than half of all votes taken in 2014. While this is partly because Ford was serving as his brother’s campaign manager in 2014, other councillors have claimed that Ford did not seem interested the job.
“He hasn’t been that crazy about the job since shortly after he got here,” said fellow councillor Shelley Carroll in an interview with the Toronto Star. “He didn’t know what it entailed.”
Ford himself stated during a speech to council in August 2014 that his brother had told him being a councillor would be a “part-time job.”
On Sept. 12, 2014, Ford made a last-minute bid for Mayor of Toronto after his brother was forced to withdraw from the race due to health concerns. Fellow councillor Karen Stintz, in an interview with CBC News, said that despite his lack of attendance at city council, Ford should still be considered “a legitimate candidate.”
As for Ward 2, Mayor Rob Ford will be running for his old seat in city council. Domise has emerged as a potential candidate to defeat Ford, after being publicly endorsed by several high-profile names, including John Tory.
Domise says that if elected, he will, unlike Doug Ford, bring “a genuine interest in the people that live in this area” to city council.
The Toronto mayoral and municipal elections will take place on October 27, 2014.
In the meantime, Guelph-Humber students should get used to seeing that empty field next to the Woodbine Racetrack.
* Photo by HiMY SYed, used according to Creative Commons license.
About the Author
Eric Penkala is a third year student at Guelph-Humber. He hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcast journalism after graduation.
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