Tue Apr 24, 2012
Politics

The Rob Ford Agenda: April 16–21, 2012

What the mayor’s been up to this week.

Monday, April 16, 9:30 a.m. Hallway outside Mayor’s Office, City Hall.

Answers with a terse “No,” when asked by a reporter whether he’s interested in the vegan diet suggested to him by PETA, which had sent two lettuce-clad protestors to crash his weigh-in. The Star documents the event in the form of a Hinterland Who’s Who spoof: “Okay, here he is, Rob Ford, an elusive mayoral species emerging from his office cocoon for the weekly weigh-in…”

Monday, April 16, 9:40 a.m. Committee Room 1, City Hall.

Chairs a brisk meeting of his Executive Committee. Despite there being 13 items on the agenda, the meeting wraps up in slightly over two hours.

Monday, April 16, 1:30 p.m. Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, Bay and Adelaide.

Cuts the ribbon, with a pair of oversized gold scissors, to help open the new Trump-branded hotel/condo combo. He appears to take great pleasure in this, and in meeting Donald Trump himself. The mayor’s wife, Renata, also makes a rare public appearance.

Tuesday, April 17, 9:30 a.m. The Collaboration Boardroom, Ontario Investment and Trade Centre, Yonge Street, at Shuter.

Holds an “economic roundtable” meeting with various business leaders. The Sun’s Don Peat notes that the table is not actually round, but rather “more of a rectangle.”

Tuesday, April 17, evening. KFC, Jane Street, south of the 401.

Attempts to discreetly purchase fast food, notwithstanding his public effort to lose weight. Does not go as planned.

Wednesday, April 18, 10:30 a.m. Rotunda, Metro Hall, King and John.

Signs autographs for kids at the kickoff event for the 2012 CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament. In a scrum immediately afterward, he reveals to reporters that he will be taking a pass on the Pride parade again this year, which quickly overshadows anything he may earlier have said about cricket.

Wednesday, April 18, 12:30 p.m. Laneway off of Harvie Avenue, near St. Clair and Lansdowne.

Holds a press event to “launch” supposedly new apps that assist with reporting graffiti to the City. In reality, both apps had already been available for several months, with the links to them on the City’s website having gone largely unnoticed.

Wednesday, April 18, 5:45 p.m. Suite B28, second floor, City Hall.

Pops by the office of Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, who’s having one of her regular council get-togethers. “We have a rotating gallery of art in our office made by Ward 32 residents,” explains McMahon’s executive assistant, Jane Farrow. “We’ve done this sort of ‘office party’ social a few times to showcase the new art and create an opportunity for mixing and mingling across traditional boundaries up here on the second floor. It’s the kind of thing Councillor McMahon does well: create neutral ground where people can come together informally. So we invite all the staffers and councillors from all political perspectives to come and mix… and eat pretzels and chips… and they did. The mayor dropped by briefly to say hello and mingle as well. Success!” Other councillors in attendance include Ford allies Frances Nunziata and Michael Thompson.

Thursday, April 19, 9:30 p.m. Shakey’s, Bloor Street, west of Runnymede.

Hangs out at one of Toronto’s best sports bars with three or four other guys. “It was the day after the KFC thing [broke], and the bar’s special for the day was, amusingly, fried chicken,” says local resident Steve Comrie, who spotted him there. ”They’d run out of it before he got there, and the waitress was upset that Ford and his party didn’t want food, because she wanted to bring it up,” Comrie says. “I got there around 9:30, and he was already there. He left around 11. As far as I can tell, they were just having beers.”