Michael Ford (politician)

Michael Douglas Ford (Listen) (born Michael Douglas Aldo Stirpe; 1994)[1] is a Canadian politician, who was elected to Toronto City Council in a by-election on July 25, 2016.[2] He was previously a Toronto District School Board trustee for Ward 1 Etobicoke North from 2014 until May 6, 2016,[3] when he resigned to run in the by-election. The council seat was vacated upon the death of his uncle, former mayor and councillor Rob Ford.

Michael Ford
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 1 (Etobicoke North)
Ward 2 (2016-2018)
Assumed office
July 25, 2016
Preceded byRob Ford
Toronto Public School Trustee for (Ward 1) Etobicoke North
In office
December 1, 2014 – May 6, 2016
Preceded byJohn Hastings
Succeeded byAvtar Minhas
Personal details
Born
Michael Douglas Aldo Stirpe

(1994-03-25) March 25, 1994
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyIndependent (2014-present) Note: municipal politicians in Ontario, including Toronto, run on a nonpartisan basis
RelationsRob Ford (uncle)
Doug Ford, Jr. (uncle)
Doug Ford, Sr. (grandfather)
ResidenceToronto, Ontario, Canada

Early life and family

He was born in 1994 to Ennio Stirpe and Kathy Ford in Toronto, Ontario. Ford attended Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke and graduated in 2012.[4] His father, Ennio Stirpe, was convicted of manslaughter in 2009 and convicted of attempted murder in 2012. He is currently incarcerated and serving an 18-year prison term for attempted murder.[5]

He legally changed his surname from Stirpe to Ford, and removed Aldo from his given name, in February 2014.[1]

He is the nephew of deceased former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the grandson of former MPP Doug Ford Sr.

Political career

In the 2014 municipal election, Ford was initially a candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 2 Etobicoke North, but dropped out when his uncle, Rob Ford, withdrew from the mayoral race after being diagnosed with an abdominal tumour.[6] Rob Ford then registered to run for the council seat, while Michael transferred his candidacy to the school board race.

During an interview with The Globe and Mail, Michael Ford acknowledged that his last name helped him get elected, but stated that he is his own man, and unlike his uncles. His colleagues on the Board of Trustees were very concerned when Ford was elected due to his uncles' public lives in politics, but one of his colleagues, Marit Stiles, told the Globe that Ford was a hard worker, eager to learn, and wasn't afraid to ask questions.[1] He also quickly earned a reputation for being more politically moderate and conciliatory than his uncles — including expressing admiration of Justin Trudeau, whom both of his uncles were known for criticizing, and attending Toronto's Pride Week parade.[7]

Rob Ford died on March 22, 2016, at which time the council seat in Ward 2 was declared vacant.[8] After city council declared on May 6 that a by-election would be held to fill the seat, Michael Ford announced he would resign his trustee position to run for council.[9]

He won the by-election, winning 69.53 per cent of the vote over 11 other challengers.[10] At 22, he is the youngest person in recent history to be elected to council.[10]

Ford ran for re election in the 2018 municipal election in the newly expanded Ward 1 Etobicoke North. The new Ward 1 had the same boundaries as Etobicoke North. He defeated fellow incumbent councillor Vincent Crisanti.

Personal life

In June 2020, Ford tested positive for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic in Canada.[11]

Election results
Candidate Votes Percentage Registration Date Notes
(x) Michael Ford 10,648 42.26% July 4, 2018 Councillor for former Ward 2 since 2016. Nephew of Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Endorsed by Toronto Sun.[12]
(x) Vincent Crisanti 8,654 34.34% May 1, 2018 Councillor for former Ward 1 since 2010.
Naiima Farah 2,262 8.98% July 27, 2018
Shirish Patel 1,945 7.72% May 1, 2018
Carol Royer 642 2.55% July 27, 2018 Endorsed by Toronto Star[13] and NOW magazine.[14]
Michelle Garcia 439 1.74% July 26, 2018
Peter D'Gama 253 1.00% July 20, 2018
Christopher Noor 214 0.85% July 9, 2018
Gurinder Patri 142 0.56% July 27, 2018
2016 By-election Councillor Ward 2 [15]
Candidate Votes %
Michael Ford6,53469.53%
Jeff Canning1,91820.41%
Christopher Strain3543.77%
Chloe-Marie Brown1521.62%
Christopher Noor1341.43%
Total9,397100%
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References
  1. Gee, Eric Andrew (May 5, 2016). "Michael Ford is everything his uncles Rob and Doug are not". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  2. "'Ford nation lives': Michael Ford will carry family's political brand in Ward 2". CBC News, July 26, 2016.
  3. Bradley, Dave (May 4, 2016). "Another Ford to run in Ward 2". CFRB. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. Brown, Louise (October 30, 2014). "Etobicoke's newest Ford politician his own man - at 20". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  5. Edwards, Peter (December 27, 2012). "Mayor Rob Ford's former brother-in-law gets 18 years for brutal knife attack that blinded woman". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  6. "Rob Ford pulls out of mayoral race, Doug Ford steps in". CBC News. September 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  7. "Ward 2 candidates hoping byelection not just a Michael Ford cakewalk". Metro, July 24, 2016.
  8. White, Patrick; Gray, Jeff (March 22, 2016). "Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford dies at 46". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  9. Fox, Chris (May 4, 2016). "Michael Ford announces intention to seek election in Ward 2". CP24. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. Rider, David (July 25, 2016). "Michael Ford wins Ward 2 Etobicoke North byelection". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  11. DeClerq, Katherine (June 9, 2020). "Toronto Coun. Michael Ford, Ontario premier's nephew, tests positive for COVID-19". ctvnews.ca.
  12. "Toronto Sun endorsements for city council". Toronto Sun. Oct 21, 2018. Retrieved Apr 11, 2019.
  13. "These are the city builders that Toronto needs". Toronto Star. October 15, 2018.
  14. DiMatteo, Enzo (2018-10-17). "Toronto Election 2018: A voter's guide to the good, bad, ugly and progressive choices for council". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  15. "Clerk's Official Declaration of By-election Results" (PDF). Toronto City Council. June 26, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
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