Doug Ford on Netflix documentary about brother: 'Poor Rob's been dead for 9 years.... Leave the guy alone'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has commented on a Netflix documentary about his late brother and former mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford.
Article content
'They're disgusting people,' he said, referring to the filmmakers, at a news conference on Tuesday. 'Poor Rob's been dead for nine years and they just want to keep going after him. I talked to one person that saw it. It's just disgusting. Leave the guy alone. Let him rest in peace. Let his family rest in peace.'
Article content
Article content
The premier said that he would not be watching the documentary, entitled Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem. It was released on the streaming service in Canada on June 17. The 49-minute film covers Rob's rise to prominence as a politician, from city councillor to mayor, in Canada's largest city.
Article content
Article content
As his former staffer Tom Beyer described it in the film, there were often two reactions when people saw him driving Rob's campaign bus on the streets while he was running for mayor. 'People would be waving and cheering, and others would be giving me the finger,' said Beyer. 'There was no middle ground.'
Article content
Rob was elected mayor in 2010. In the first year of his mayoralty, he was 'able to get his agenda passed,' city councillor Josh Matlow said in the documentary. 'He was ticking off, piece by piece, his plan to make the city work and end the waste,' said Mark Towhey, Rob's former chief of staff.
Article content
However, Rob was also known for making off the cuff remarks to the media and in city hall's council chambers. He was accused of inappropriate behaviour while intoxicated, including showing up at a gala while drunk, confronting a couple at a Maple Leafs game, and drinking in his City Hall office on St. Patrick's Day in 2012. Photos and videos allegedly showing him inebriated surfaced many times during his mayoralty, according to media reports at the time, which prompted him to either deny wrongdoings, or in some cases, apologize.
Article content
Article content
The situation became more dire in 2013 when reports circulated that there was a video of Rob smoking crack cocaine out of a glass pipe. He denied the drug use at first, but later, in November of that year, admitted to it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
22 minutes ago
- CBC
Judge halts Trump's attempt to keep international students from Harvard
A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration's efforts to keep Harvard University from hosting international students, delivering the Ivy League school another victory as it challenges multiple government sanctions amid a battle with the White House. The order from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston preserves the ability of Harvard to host foreign students while the case is decided. Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security in May after the agency withdrew the school's certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork for their visas. The action would have forced Harvard's roughly 7,000 foreign students — about a quarter of its total enrolment — to transfer or risk being in the U.S. illegally. New foreign students would have been barred from coming to Harvard. The university called it illegal retaliation for rejecting the White House's demands to overhaul Harvard policies around campus protests, admissions, hiring and other issues. Burroughs temporarily halted the action hours after Harvard sued. Less than two weeks later, in early June, Trump moved to block foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard, citing a different legal justification. Harvard challenged the move, and Burroughs temporarily blocked that effort as well. The stops and starts of the legal battle have unsettled current students and left others around the world waiting to find out whether they will be able to attend America's oldest and wealthiest university. The Trump administration's efforts to stop Harvard from enrolling international students have created an environment of "profound fear, concern and confusion," the university said in a court filing. Many international students have asked about transferring from the university, Harvard immigration services director Maureen Martin said. Trump has been warring with Harvard for months after it rejected a series of government demands meant to address conservative complaints that the school has become too liberal and has tolerated anti-Jewish harassment. Trump officials have cut more than $2.6 billion US in research grants, ended federal contracts and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. In April, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that Harvard turn over a trove of records related to any dangerous or illegal activity by foreign students. Harvard says it complied, but Noem said the response fell short and on May 22, she revoked Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The sanction immediately put Harvard at a disadvantage as it competed for the world's top students, the school said in its lawsuit, and it harmed Harvard's reputation as a global research hub. "Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the suit said. The action would have upended some graduate schools that recruit heavily from abroad. Some schools overseas quickly offered invitations to Harvard's students, including two universities in Hong Kong. Harvard President Alan Garber previously said the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its "core, legally protected principles," even after receiving federal ultimatums.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Suspect in fatal Toronto stabbing has a history of violence, targeted victim because he was ‘alone': police
Toronto Police give an update on the search for 24-year-old Anthony Steven Oliveira in connection to the fatal stabbing of a 36-year-old man in the east end.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Suspect arrested after fatal hit-and-run in Hanover
A suspect has been arrested and charged after failing to remain when he fatally struck a woman. On June 11, 66-year-old Sheila Lamont died from her injuries after she was struck by a red Chrysler PT Cruiser on 7th Avenue near Hanover Park. The driver fled the scene, and the car was found destroyed by fire in the Municipality of Brockton. The suspect, 33-year-old Codie Bloom, was arrested on Thursday evening after he was located walking in Walkerton on McNabb Street. Bloom has been charged with dangerous driving causing death and fail to remain at a collision resulting in death and arson. His next scheduled court date is June 27 at the Walkerton Bail Court. This investigation remains active and ongoing.
