‘Bullies’ and ‘chickens’ duke it out for mayor
‘Back to Basics’
Doug Ford took his campaign “back to the basics” on Sunday, canvassing a Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue neighbourhood in the afternoon, a commercial strip in Scarborough in the evening and, in a fitting end to a very suburban day, taking in the Vaani Villai Cultural Event in the city’s east end. Toning down his attacks on John Tory, Mr. Ford instead suggested to media that it was Mr. Tory who was “calling him names,” such as “bully” and “chicken.” The dual-pronged attacks left Mr. Ford confused, he said, because the two slurs seemed contradictory.
Off track
Olivia Chow spent her Sunday canvassing Mount Dennis with supporters, sampling a potluck dish at the city’s Soupalicious festival and staving off suggestions that David Chen, the business owner-cum-city celebrity who made headlines in 2009 for subduing a would-be thief, had ditched her in favour of Mr. Tory. Ms. Chow warned that Mr. Tory’s SmartTrack would “destroy” Mount Dennis. On a roll, Ms. Chow sombrely lamented what she described as the pitfalls of Tory’s SmartTrack transit plan; but she noticeably brightened when a reporter touched on Mr. Chen’s ostensible betrayal. Nonsense, she enthused. Mr. Chen had recently appeared on Chinese-language television, and was as of yet undecided in endorsing a candidate. Did the betrayal hurt, a reporter prodded? “It doesn’t matter, it’s his decision who he supports and who he votes for,” said Ms. Chow.
Uniter, not a fighter
John Tory spent his Sunday canvassing Riverdale and a North York neighbourhood, both friendly ground for the centrist contender who champions himself as a comfortable middle ground between Ms. Chow and Mr. Ford. Rebutting last week’s incessant attacks from Mr. Ford, Mr. Tory dismissed Mr. Ford’s last-minute exit from a mayoral debate as cowardice. “Because bullies only show up if they’re going to win,” he said, a somewhat ironic statement given that Mr. Tory has declined to attend several debates in past weeks. Mr. Tory also announced today a new series of radio and television ads, positioning himself as a lover, not a fighter, who can mend the frayed relationship between the city’s right and left flanks.