A step-by-step account of the mayor's Saturday stroll through Scarborough Town Centre.
While Rob Ford may be logging most of his miles on a track in Etobicoke, his weight-loss regimen also includes slow-moving photo ops that he and his team have dubbed “Mayor’s Walks.” We’d heard his Jan. 28 walk didn’t actually include much walking, so we joined last Saturday’s Scarborough Town Centre stroll with a smartphone pedometer app to quantify our progress. Here’s a step-by-step account:
0: Ford enters the Town Centre with brother Doug close behind him. Councillors Gary Crawford and Norm Kelly, both allies of the mayor, are here, along with security guards, police officers and plenty of Ford staffers.
14: Rob Ford stops near the entrance to greet Kathy and Tom Giordano, two loyal supporters. Kathy is wearing a Ford Fest t-shirt and three Ford buttons—two on her shirt, one on her right shoe.
59: Reporters poke microphones at Rob Ford and begin asking questions about a possible labour stoppage. He appears unwilling to get into specifics. “I can’t get into specifics,” he says, adding, “I just can’t get into specifics.”
106: The questions continue. Rob Ford still can’t get into specifics.
245: Norm Kelly is walking alongside Ford, and he’s talking about renovations to the Town Centre. The mall’s website says that 2011 marked the completion of a “two-year, $62-million state-of-the-art renovation transformation … [that] strengthened its position as a dominant force in the ever-competitive shopping centre industry.”
259: Rob Ford waves to staff at Urban Behaviour.
319: I notice the pedometer was off for a minute or two; I flick it back on. Later, I shuffle in place and the pedometer registers my movement as a couple of steps. The app uses my phone’s accelerometer to track movement (or something), including most of the moves I make while jostling for photos. Consider these numbers slanted heavily in Rob Ford’s favour.
345: With Rob Ford stopped near an escalator posing for photos, his staff sling business cards and magnets. After posing with the mayor, supporters are given tickets so that they can receive their picture by email. I ask a staffer for a magnet. She hands me one, saying, “This is his home number. He returns all calls.”
367: We’re still at the escalator, where Rob Ford is surrounded by people. I hear him say, “Gotta get the subway.” A young woman standing on the periphery says, “I’m goin’ in,” and approaches the mayor for a photo.
571: Still at the escalator. Rob Ford is like a suburban rockstar. A man leans in and says, a little too loudly, “You are very handsome!”
634: We’ve moved on. A man takes a picture with a Samsung tablet.
643: “You remind me of myself,” one woman tells Rob Ford, while a man nearby heckles the mayor.
679: Rob Ford continues walking, with Kelly on his left and Crawford on his right. The three talk about Scarborough.
714: With the mayor posing for photos once again, I ask Doug if he feels left out. “No, not at all,” he says. “He’s the all-star. Gary and I are just here for security.” Crawford is sporting a sensible pair of New Balances.
757: Members of Rob Ford’s entourage chuckle at the number of photographers swarming the mayor, apparently surprised that their shopping trip has turned into some kind of lumbering photo op.
814: More photographers join the pack, looking a little flustered. “Mayor, you walk too fast!” one says.
875: A cameraman and photographer tell Doug Ford they’d like an unobstructed, uninterrupted shot of the mayor walking—“maybe 10 or 20 feet.” Doug agrees and goes to tell his brother.
929: A man passing by yells, “Don’t let those lazy socialists get their way!”
945: A mall employee offers the mayor a free trial of an Xtreme Energy wrist band (“The Xtreme Energy is made of 100% Surgical Grade Silicone featuring the two holographic discs and the Xtreme Energy negative-ion infused silicone.”) The mayor declines.
1,003: Rob Ford takes a mouthful of water.
1,015: With the mayor paused near an escalator, a confused young man asks, loudly, “Who’s this guy?” He gestures to his two companions and says, “We’re from Ottawa,” explaining his confusion.
1,058: More water.
1,093: Rob Ford boards the escalator and has to stand in place because of the photographers riding in front of him, clicking away.
1,096: The escalator stalls with Doug Ford about halfway up. He walks the remaining stairs.
1,264: An older man in a red jacket says, “You’re the best. The best we’ve ever had.” He and the mayor take a photo together.
1,370: A woman gets Rob Ford’s autograph. She has also brought along a signed photo of she and the mayor. “You really wonder whether he’s popular when he does this,” says Crawford facetiously. A young man says the mayor probably isn’t getting much exercise.
1,669: With the walk winding down, an alarm sounds. Rob Ford makes his way slowly toward the exit. Kelly says, “They’re announcing: ‘The mayor is leaving!’” A reporter wonders if someone tripped the alarm because “some union workers have turned up.”
1,751: Rob Ford holds a brief scrum outside the Town Centre. He still can’t get into specifics.
1,761: Heading toward his van, the mayor stops to sign a t-shirt and talk football. He thinks the Giants will win the Super Bowl. Doug likes the Patriots.
1,829: Rob Ford thanks the security guards, then walks toward his beige minivan. Doug gets into his Lincoln Navigator. Once the mayor has left, I count the steps to where he climbed into the driver’s seat: 1,884.
