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  • Rob Ford: Toronto’s Most Notorious And Most Beloved Mayor Succumbs To Cancer At 46

    Rob Ford: Toronto’s Most Notorious And Most Beloved Mayor Succumbs To Cancer At 46

    Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who was often ridiculed for his unique political style and brash attitude, succumbed to cancer at age 46. Ford died on Tuesday after an 18-month battle with pleomorphic liposarcoma, an aggressive type of cancer.

    “With heavy hearts and profound sadness, the Ford family announces the passing of their beloved son, brother, husband and father,” his bereaved family said in a statement. “A dedicated man of the people, Councillor Ford spent his life serving the citizens of Toronto.”

    He was first diagnosed with liposarcoma in 2014 while running for a reelection which caused him to drop out of the race. Instead, he ran for councilor in Ward 2 Etobicoke North, winning it by a landslide. Ford declared he was cancer free in September but was hospitalized again in October after two new tumors had been found in his bladder.

    Rob Ford gained popularity among the masses for his unpretentious leadership style. However, he repeatedly found himself in numerous scandals involving drugs, threats of violence and alcohol. After a video showing Ford smoking crack cocaine in his office surfaced in 2014, the former Toronto mayor faced his addiction and said he was entering rehab. Video footage and photographs showing Ford intoxicated in public also emerged.

    Despite the scandals about him, Rob Ford was loved by many. Thousands of supporters have shared their prayers for his recovery on a website set up by his family during his battle with cancer.

    Toronto mayor John Tory paid tribute to the late politician saying, “His time in City Hall included moments of kindness, of generosity to his council colleagues and real efforts to do what he thought was best for Toronto.”

    Rob Ford’s brother, Doug Ford, also expressed his sadness on his demise: “My heart is ripped out. I loved Rob so much, I took care of him and protected him from the day he was born. I miss him so much. He was my best friend.”

  • Rob Ford Kicked Out Of Several Polling Stations, Brother Distances Himself

    Early voting opened in Toronto on October 14, and Mayor Rob Ford seems to be struggling to keep his hold on the city as its constituents are set to vote for new officials. In fact, Ford went so far as to break an important election rule just to get some face time with the voting public.

    After visiting and being asked to leave two polling stations on Thursday and Friday, Ford was reportedly sent a letter from the city clerk informing him that he had broken the Municipal Elections Act, which states that anyone attempting to directly or indirectly influence voters is not allowed to be at the polling station.

    Ford is currently running for city councilor in Ward 2, but was seen visiting Ward 8 on Thursday and Ward 7 on Friday. After receiving the letter from city clerk Uli Watkiss, however, Ward also drove a voter to a polling station in Ward 17 and ignored repeated requests by an election official to leave, according to Jackie Souza, spokeswoman for the City of Toronto.

    “There was no evidence the mayor was campaigning on the site or telling people how to vote. However, only electors, elections staff and scrutineers are permitted in the voting place so he was asked to leave,” said Souza in an e-mail.

    Ford reportedly dropped out of the mayoral race when he was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer and decided to run for city councilor of Ward 2. His opponent, Andray Domise, feels so confident that Ford will not win that he called on Twitter for any last-minute donors to his campaign to redirect their funds to other progressive candidates who needed them more.

    Meanwhile, Ford’s brother, Doug Ford, has taken up the mayoral race and is reportedly both distancing himself from his brother’s tenure as mayor and taking credit for the administration’s accomplishments.

    Saying that Doug Ford as mayor was a tough sell, conservative strategist Dimitri Pantazopoulos added that in his opinion, “he can’t decide whether to distance himself or take credit, and therefore he’s kind of doing both.”