The Notorious Rob Ford, Toronto´s late ex Mayor .
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8h0BgBo5qg
Netflix Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exi7L2RldTQ
It is fair to say that Rob Ford brought more attention to Toronto at one
time than the city has ever received in its history.
The late former mayor, who passed away almost a decade ago,
made the Canadian city internationally notorious
in May 2013 when a gossip website
released a video showing him smoking crack cocaine.
The revelation was soon
followed by an astonishing
series of events: Ford's admission
of crack-smoking, reports that the house where Ford was videotaped was well
known for attracting drugs and violence, another video showing him drunk and
using racial slurs, and yet
another video showing him again smoking crack.
Part of what made Ford so headline-grabbing
was, of course, the simple fact that he was a mayor engaging in felonious behaviour.
That behaviour was part of his persona, which made for sensationalistic
coverage - boisterous, boorish, and
boozy.
But another reason Ford became globally infamous was that he ran so contrary to national
stereotypes.
Ford was popular with voters despite
his controversial reputation.
"Toronto's crack-smoking, hard-drinking mayor seems so
un-Canadian," wrote the newspaper The Irish Times.
"This is Canada we're talking about, supposedly an endless land of
clean water, maple trees, Mounties and French secessionists," Time magazine summarised.
But Canadians defy popular
notions of all kinds.
They are among the heaviest drinkers of alcohol and smokers of marijuana in
the world and they rank with the most obese and dependent on antidepressants.
In light of this
evidence, Rob Ford isn't so
un-Canadian.
Perhaps that's why many Torontonians simply didn't care about his conduct.
It wasn't that shocking to them. And it was hardly unknown.
By the time he was first elected mayor in October 2010, he had already
faced charges for assaulting
his wife; he had become drunk and yelled
obscenities at an ice hockey
game; been forced to leave an event for the Canadian armed forces because he
was inebriated, and he had
admitted to failing a breathalyser
test - all while he was a City Council member.
The crack-smoking was a new degree of criminal activity to city residents,
but it was only the latest in a long list of outrageous incidents engaged in by Rob Ford.
The revelations about
Ford's crack use cost him only a temporary dip in
the polls.
It was only after cancer forced Ford from his re-election campaign that his
eventual successor, John Tory, knew he would win.
Even though he campaigned mostly from his hospital bed, Ford won
re-election to the City Council in October 2014.
He had a deserved reputation for being personally and swiftly responsive to his constituents' concerns.
His flaws made him seem
like an approachable, normal
guy.
"I'd much rather have a crack
addict than some elitist nepotistic scum any day," one of his voters
said.
Rob Ford wasn't an everyman
but he played one in real life.
He drank, swore, and committed crimes while in office that should have delivered him to prison under an equal justice system.And in all this, Rob Ford wasn't un-Canadian. He was every bit as Canadian as clean water, maples trees, and Mounties.
1.Good and Bad:
Choose a good thing and a bad thing about Canada from this list and talk about those two aspects:
(When discussing the good and bad aspects of something,we can use linking words to connect contrasting ideas. Some common words include 'however', 'although' and 'despite').
Top 5 Good Things About Living in Canada
- High Quality of Life
- Stunning Natural Beauty
- Multicultural and Inclusive Society
- Free/Universal Healthcare
- Low Crime and Political Stability
Top 5 Bad Things About Living in Canada
- Harsh Winters
- High Cost of Living (Especially Housing)
- Long Wait Times for Healthcare
- Job Market Challenges for Newcomers
- Geographic Spread and Isolation
2.Vocabulary
Paragraph 1
1. | gossip | a. | relating to or involved in crime |
2. | notorious | b. | the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others. |
3. | revelation | c. | informal talk about the personal or private affairs of others |
4. | racial slurs | d. | attracting alot of attention in the news |
5. | headline grabbing | e. | famous for something bad, negative or unpleasant |
6. | persona | f. | A surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed to others. |
7. | felonious | g. | derogatory words used to insult or dehumanize individuals or groups based on their ethnicity |
Paragraph 2
1. | boisterous | a. | presenting information in a way that is shocking or exciting rather than serious, especially in newspapers, on television, etc |
2. | sensationalistic | b. | bad-mannered , rude, impolite |
3. | boorish | c. | noisy, energetic, lively and cheerful. |
4. | Mounties | d. | openly resist or refuse to obey. |
5. | secessionist | e. | make a physical attack on someone |
6. | defy | f. | a person that wants their region or group to become separate from the country |
7. | assaulting | g. | a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They are recognized for their red shirts, beige hats and horses that they ride on. |
Paragraph 3
1. | obsenities | a. | an imperfection or weakness |
2. | breathalyzer | b. | an extremely offensive word or expression. |
3. | outrageous | c. | a device used by police for measuring the amount of alcohol a driver's had by breathing through a machine |
4. | successor | d. | high speed, quickly |
5. | poll | e. | a person who has a job, position, or title after someone else |
6. | swiftly | f. | shockingly bad or excessive. |
7. | flaw | g. | a study of a group's opinion on a subject, in which people are questioned and their answers examined. |
Paragraph 4
8. | elitist | h. | friendly and easy to talk to. |
9. | approachable | i. | an ordinary or typical human being. |
10. | everyman | j. | a person whose behavior is offensive to others |
11. | nepotistic | k. | showing or characterized by favoritism towards relatives, especially in giving them jobs or special treatment |
12. | scum | l. | someone who believes that some things should be controlled or owned only by the richest or best educated people |
| |||
|
3. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
1. former
2. passed away
3. gossip
4. astonishing
5. boozy/ inebriated
6. contrary
7. despite
8. yell
9. dip
10. admission
11. poll
a. acknowledgement
b. very surprising
c. deceased
d. opposite
e. rumour
f. survey
g. previous
h. even though
i. drop/decrease
j. shout
k. drunk
4.Choose one of these Rob Ford scandals and discuss why it could be the most destrucive for a politician´s career.
-
Crack Cocaine Scandal
After months of denial, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine, blaming it on being “in a drunken stupor.” -
I've Got More Than Enough to Eat at Home:In a press conference addressing sexual harassment allegations, he made an extremely crude comment about his wife, shocking the public.
-
Drunken Tirade on YouTube
A video showed a wildly intoxicated Ford pacing around, swearing, and threatening to kill someone. No context was ever confirmed. -
Being Caught on Camera Reading While Driving
Ford was photographed reading documents behind the wheel on a busy highway. His defense: "I'm a busy man." -
Using City Resources for His Football Team
Ford was accused of using city staff and resources to help his football team — including city cars and staff time. -
Refusing to Step Down
Even as scandals piled up, Ford refused to resign, insisting he was still fit to govern. -
Denial of Alcohol Problem
Despite many public incidents, Ford repeatedly denied having any issues with alcohol until near the end of his term. -
The Alleged Escort Ride to City Hall
Ford was alleged to have arrived at City Hall with a woman suspected to be a sex worker. He denied the claim.
5.Objective:
Students will participate in a city council meeting simulation to discuss the future of Mayor Rob Ford after the public revelations about his drug use and erratic behavior.
🧑🤝🧑 Roles (Assign or let students choose):
-
Rob Ford – Defending his record and refusing to step down.
-
Deputy Mayor – Concerned about city image and urging Ford to resign.
-
City Councillor (Supporter) – Believes Ford’s personal issues shouldn't overshadow his policies.
-
City Councillor (Critic) – Thinks Ford’s behavior makes him unfit for office.
-
Toronto Citizen (Business Owner) – Worried about the city’s reputation and economic impact.
-
Toronto Citizen (Supporter) – Thinks Ford is a man of the people and should stay.
-
Journalist – Asking tough questions to each speaker.
-
Ethics Advisor – Gives a professional opinion on whether Ford’s behavior breaches codes of conduct.
-
Media Analyst – Discusses how the media has influenced public perception.
-
Moderator/City Council Chairperson – Keeps the discussion organized and neutral.
7.QUESTIONS:
1.What was your initial reaction when you heard about Rob Ford’s drug scandal?
2.Do you think the media was fair in how it portrayed Rob Ford during his time as mayor? Why or why not?
3.How do you think Rob Ford’s behavior affected the public’s trust in local government?
4.Should a politician’s personal life be kept separate from their professional duties? Did Rob Ford cross that line?
5.Do you believe Rob Ford’s apology was sincere and sufficient? Why or why not?
6.What do you think motivated Rob Ford to stay in office despite widespread calls for his resignation?
7.How do you think Ford’s behavior impacted Toronto’s reputation internationally?
8.Did the political system handle Rob Ford’s situation appropriately? What could have been done differently?
9.Can a politician still be effective in their role if they’re involved in personal controversies? Why or why not?
10.Looking back, how should Rob Ford’s legacy be remembered—as a scandalous figure, a man of the people, or something else?
8. What do you know about the following famous Canadians:
1. Justin Trudeau
2. Celine Dion
3. Justin Bieber
4. Leonard Cohen
5. Ryan Gosling
6. Ryan Renolds
7. Michael J Fox
8. Terry Fox
9. Jim Carey
10. Wayne Gretzky
9. FILL IN THE BLANKS:
1. If people think Canadians are polite and gentle but it is not true, then it is a
.
2. If you have two options to choose from and you don't like either one , then you must choose the lesser of two .
3. In the U.S. you are voted as president for 4 years. In politics, 4 years as president or mayor means it is one .
4.If one day the mayor decides to quit being the mayor, then the mayor .
5. is a formal title of respect used when referring to individuals in positions of high authority, such as ambassadors, governors, heads of state or the president. However, for royalty we use .
For the pope, we use the term . For judges, we say .
6. If you were a big fan of Mayor Ford and you want to talk about him even though he had just recently passed away, you could say : ¨the Rob Ford was mayor of Toronto for 4 years¨.
7. Rob Ford became very famous for his many scandals. He was for his many scandals.
8.The scandals that he was involved in was covered a lot by the media. His scandals made .
9. If he could not stop getting himself in trouble, we can say the following idiom:
He was attracted to scandals like to .
10. Even though he kept getting himself in trouble, Torontonians kept ignoring his behavior , or they kept forgiving him for whatever reason. This means that they kept
.
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