Chow says she 'can't wait for the Ford era to end'

Olivia Chow has come out swinging at Doug Ford, one day after refusing to comment on his sudden entrance into the mayoral race.

Chow told reporters on Friday that she didn’t feel comfortable critiquing Doug Ford as a candidate before he had a chance to speak about his decision to enter the race himself, but on Saturday Chow pulled no punches, telling reporters that the first-term councillor for Ward 2 would bring the same combative style to city hall as his brother has.

“Doug Ford voted repeatedly to cut service, whether it was the TTC, libraries or other community services,” Chow said at the official opening of a joint office for city council candidates Joe Cressy and Mike Layton. “Doug Ford’s policies are about cutting services and talk. He talks about building subways that nobody will pay for and that by the way is the same style that Mr. (John) Tory has. That’s not my style.”

Chow finished third in a snap Forum Research poll conducted Friday with the support of just 19 per cent of respondents compared to 41 per cent for John Tory and 34 per cent for Doug Ford.

Speaking with reporters, the former NDP Member of Parliament speculated that her decision not to attack Doug Ford in the wake of his entrance into the race “may have been one of the reasons” behind her poor showing.

Chow then went on to deliver a message to her newest opponent.

“My message to Doug Ford is this: You have said that you want to leave city hall and I agree with you. I can’t wait for the Ford era to end so we can start rebuilding this city,” she said.

Ford tells Sun that he is prepping for surgery

Friday’s last-minute ballot shuffle, which saw Rob Ford withdraw from the mayoral race, has prompted serious concern across the city about the state of the mayor’s health.

That concern was stoked Saturday morning with a report in the Toronto Sun in which the ailing mayor said that he is prepping himself for an upcoming surgery that could put him on his back for weeks.

According to the paper, Ford made the comment from his hospital bed at Mount Sinai Hospital. Ford is at the hospital awaiting the results of a biopsy on a tumour in his abdomen.

“It’s not good,” Ford reportedly said of his condition. “I guess the good Lord wants me somewhere else.”

Ford checked himself into the hospital on Wednesday after feeling abdominal pain during breakfast.

A CT scan then located the tumour, which doctors have described as “not small.”

Speaking with the Sun, Ford reportedly said that he is “fighting every day” and will “never quit” but nonetheless understands that he is in no shape to withstand the rigours of a mayoral campaign.

“I don’t have a choice,” he said. “It’s just the way it goes.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning mayoral candidate John Tory repeated both his hopes for a quick recovery for Mayor Ford and his criticism of Doug Ford.

“I have had my criticisms of Doug Ford and I will continue to,” Tory told CP24 while attending a charity run benefiting the SickKids Foundation. “At the same time it is a terribly difficult time for that family, especially for Rob Ford and his wife and his kids, and I really do hope he gets better. I was wishing he would come back to the debate table because he genuinely enjoys all that, but Doug Ford is now a candidate for mayor and we have to begin discussing the suitability of him.”

Poll gives Tory seven point lead over Doug Ford

The Forum Research poll released late Friday night put Tory in the lead in the revamped mayoral race with 41 per cent support, Doug Ford in second with 34 per cent and Olivia Chow in third with 19 per cent.

The poll marked an improvement for the younger Ford brother from the last time the agency tested his popularity in May. In that hypothetical three-way poll, Doug Ford had the support of just 21 per cent of respondents.

“We were a little surprised because we had polled Doug Ford in the past and he doesn’t typically do as well as his brother but he does have three things going for him: he has the sympathy vote, he doesn’t have the baggage that Rob Ford has and finally he does have Rob’s endorsement and will carry Ford Nation because of that,” Forum Research President and CEO Dr. Lorne Bozinoff told CP24 Saturday morning."He is still behind and he has seven points to make up but he is a formidable opponent."

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