Doug Ford is sitting out another day of campaigning as his family awaits further information on Mayor Rob Ford’s condition.
An upset-looking Ford visited his brother in hospital Sunday and told reporters that the family should know more about his condition within the next few days.
“He’s in a little bit of pain,” Ford told reporters Sunday as he entered Mount Sinai Hospital. “It’s tough for everyone right now.”
The family is currently awaiting biopsy results to learn more about the tumour doctors found in the mayor’s abdomen.
Ford has yet to formally launch his mayoral campaign, however he told reporters over the weekend to “stay tuned.”
“We’ll see over the next coming weeks. I have other things I have to address right now and that’s with Rob,” Ford said.
Ford is expected to visit the mayor in hospital again this morning.
On Sunday he skipped a CIvicAction debate with John Tory and Olivia Chow. At the debate, Tory took aim at the Fords, telling reporters that “A Ford is a Ford” and declaring that “the Ford era” must come to an end.
At a campaign event Monday morning, Tory told reporters again that Doug Ford would be “more of the same if not worse in terms of the divisiveness and the combativeness and the sort of negativity of large parts of the Ford era.”
Two more debates are scheduled for tonight. Jeff Silverstein, a spokesperson for Ford’s campaign, confirmed Monday that Doug Ford will not take part in either event. Silverstein also said Ford is not scheduled to take part in any events or media availabilities today.
Ford campaign faces logistical challenges
In the meantime, the Etobicoke councillor faces a number of logistical challenges in setting up his campaign. While politically, his ideas might be nearly identical to that of his brother, election rules still require that he set up his own separate campaign. That means that while he might be able to use some materials from his brother’s campaign, he would have to purchase those materials at market value.
He also needs to name a campaign manager, a role he filled himself on his brother’s campaign.
It’s not clear how long it will take Ford to get his own campaign machine up and running.
On Friday, the Ford brothers shook up the campaign when Rob formally withdrew from the race and signed up to run for his old council seat. Doug, who had been planning to leave council and return to running the family business, signed up to run for mayor instead, telling reporters that the brothers were afraid their work at council over the past four years might be undone.
-with a report by CP24 Reporter Cam Woolley
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