For residents of Canada’s largest city, Toronto, it has seemed like a very long campaign to elect new representatives at City Hall. Many saw the mayoral vote as more of a referendum on Rob Ford’s term as mayor
The highly controversial outgoing mayor Rob Ford, who made world news with his sometimes aggressive nature and admission of using crack cocaine following long denials, has been replaced by 60-year old John Tory who now becomes the city’s 65th mayor.
Tory told supporters yesterday night that he would end the division that has “paralyzed city hall”, referring to the scandal-plagued years of Rob Ford as mayor, adding that he intended to lead the city neither left nor right, but rather forward
Rob Ford was always staunchly supported by his brother, Doug, who was a city councillor. In spite of the several controversies and sometimes erratic behaviour of the outgoing mayor, there is still a great deal of support among residents for the brothers, with supporters being called “Ford Nation”.
Rob Ford had initially planned to run again for mayor but withdrew, primarily due to a diagnosis of cancer with Doug Ford running in his place for the mayor’s job as one of the three leading candidates.
The result as of 11pm showed Tory, seen as more of a centrist politician, with 394,900 votes, to Doug Ford’s 330,600, with Oliva Chow, seen as a socialist candidate, trailing at 227,000.
However, even though voters opted for John Tory, a former provincial Progressive Conservative leader as the city’s new mayor, the Ford-era at city hall is not over.
The still controversial Rob Ford returns as a councillor, elected easily in the city’s Ward 2 district.
Rob Ford has also said he will run again for mayor in 2018.
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