Mayor Rob Ford needs to stop campaigning for candidates in a slate of provincial byelections and worry about running the city instead, says the provincial transportation minister.
Glen Murray made the comment to reporters Wednesday afternoon, one day after Ford told attendees at a rally for Scarborough-Guildwood PC candidate Ken Kirupa that a vote for the Liberals would be akin to giving a robber a gun.
The comment was the latest in a line of attacks Ford has made on the provincial Liberal party in recent weeks and followed an impassioned plea to listeners on his radio show last weekend to vote for anyone but the governing Liberals in five provincial byelections being held Thursday.
“There was an outrageous attack on people’s character (yesterday) and eventually you have to say enough is enough,” Murray said Wednesday. “The mayor’s office is supposed to be above partisan politics, he is supposed to be a convenor, he is supposed to represent and bring people together. That is not happening.”
Mayor Ford has made several appearances supporting PC candidates in both Scarborough-Guildwood and Etobicoke-Lakeshore, where his deputy mayor Doug Holyday is on the ballot.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Murray called Holyday a “mouthpiece” for the Ford administration and likened his candidacy to interference from the mayor’s office in a provincial campaign.
“When you put up your deputy mayor to be a mouthpiece for you and your brother (Coun. Doug Ford) that is not the kind of democratic process that people want,” Murray said.
Ford has not responded to Murray's comments, but in an interview with CP24 Wednesday evening Coun. Doug Ford said the cabinet minister is just trying to change the conversation ahead of Thursday's byelections.
"This is about Glen Murray trying to change the channel. He is trying to deflect the conversation about the billion dollar scandals and that’s what these elections are about," he said. "By no means is this about Rob and Doug Ford."
Poll shows close race in Etobicoke
Murray’s comments Wednesday were made hours after the release of a new poll that showed the race in Etobicoke-Lakeshore could come down to a photo finish.
According to the Forum Research poll, Holyday leads the race with 47 per cent support, but Liberal Peter Milczyn is just four points behind at 43 per cent support.
NDP candidate PC Choo trails far behind at seven per cent, while Green candidate Angela Salewsky has just three per cent support.
“Doug Holyday's lead is so tight it's a tie, so this one is going to come down to turn out and getting out the vote,” said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research.
No matter who wins the race for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, there will be a seat vacant on city council when the dust settles Friday. Both Holyday and Milczyn are sitting Toronto city councillors who are on leave to campaign. Whoever wins will move on to Queen’s Park and it will be up to city council to set a local byelection to fill the vacant seat.
Another poll shows the Liberals enjoying a slightly more comfortable lead in Scarborough-Guildwood, where Civic Action CEO Mitzi Hunter stands at 38 per cent support versus 31 per cent for the Progressive Conservatives’ Ken Kirupa. NDP candidate and former TTC Chair Adam Giambrone is trailing in third place with 27 per cent support, the poll shows.
The Liberals are trying to hang on to other seats in London West, Windsor-Tecumseh and Ottawa South after a number of high-profile Liberals resigned their seats over the past few months.
Tarnished by a scandal involving gas plants that were cancelled during the last general election, the byelections are widely perceived to be a bellwether vote for the Liberals, who have been led by Premier Kathleen Wynne since she won a January leadership contest to replace Dalton McGuinty.
However Wynne said Wednesday she’s not worried about the election.
“The byelections are part of the political cycle. I’m looking forward to the results tomorrow,” Wynne said. “But on Friday I will still be premier and I will continue to do the work of this government and part of that is working with the opposition parties in a minority situation.”
The Etobicoke-Lakeshore poll surveyed 579 residents of the riding by phone July 30. The poll results are considered accurate to within plus or minus five per cent, 19 times out of 20. The Scarborough-Guildwood poll surveyed 373 random participants from that riding by phone and is considered accurate to within plus or minus six per cent, 19 times out of 20.
The polls will be open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m in all five ridings.
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