Doug Ford has officially kicked off his mayoral campaign canvassing for the first time Saturday since taking his brother’s place on the ballot.

Arriving at his Etobicoke campaign office around 1:15 p.m., he told supporters gathered there that he “can’t wait” to get out there and meet constituents.

“We have been talking to the people for four years and today we need to convey a vision, a vision of continuing prosperity,” Ford said. “We are going to hit from Ward one right over to Ward 44 over the next five weeks.”

Ford noted that he was launching his campaign from the same spot that his brother did four years ago and his father, a former Progressive Conservative MPP, did before that.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail Saturday, rival candidate Olivia Chow spoke at an Ontario Public Service Employees Union event where she emphasized the importance of people working together in the city.

“I’m good at getting action done, especially working with other people, especially working with you,” she told the crowd. “I have the experience, I have the track record to get things done and in this election, it is important that... when we work together, we are stronger together.”

John Tory also spoke about togetherness at a media availability in Scarborough on Saturday, where he accepted endorsements from Liberal members of parliament John McKay and Arnold Chan and two federal candidates.

"I am very proud of the fact that this campaign is all about bringing people together and it is bringing people together regardless of what their party is and regardless of what their background is," Tory told reporters.

Ford began knocking on residents’ doors in the Kipling Avenue and Rexdale Boulevard area, where the campaign office of Andray Domise, council candidate for Ward 2, is located.

Domise is running against Mayor Rob Ford who withdrew from the mayoral race after a cancer diagnosis earlier this month but signed up to run for the Ward 2 council seat instead. Domise told reporters on Saturday that he wishes the mayor well, but that Ward 2 residents don’t want him as their councillor.

“I hope all the best for him, that he gets better,” said Domise. “But as far as his neighbourhood is concerned, there’s a lot of people, if you head out to the Kingsview Village area and go to the Dixon towers, ask them how they feel. They do not want him back as councillor and frankly, I think that we can do better.”

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