More evidence of Doug Ford's sleaziness

Doug Ford says he knows "the difference of what we should and shouldn't do", and that the media attention generated by his daughter's "stag-and-doe" party is just "ridiculous". The party was actually back in August 2022, and was held at the Ford family mansion, which he often uses for political events and rallies. It was essentially a fundraiser to help pay for the wedding, which is a bizarre idea to me, but maybe that happens in certain echelons of society (mainly ones that can afford lavish weddings anyway), who knows?

Many Conservative fundraisers and political acquaintances received invitations to the party, and some of them were quite uncomfortable at being asked to make donations "to the couple" of up to $1,000. "It felt dirty", said one invitee. Others, clearly, has no such scruples. There were also "tickets" available at $150 each, which were associated with a number of door prizes, including a Vespa scooter.

If Mr. Ford does indeed know what he shouldn't do, then we need to be even more worried about his professional ethics. Because he definitely should not be inviting his developer "friends" to a pre-wedding party for his daughter. Does she even know these people? And should all these rich people, "friends" of Mr. Ford, be making payments in order to attend? Is this an entry fee?

Ford says he has "hundreds" of friends who just happens to be property developers, which maybe provides a little insight into what Ford thinks a "friend" is. Moreover, several of the invitees are those very developers who stand to gain from Ford's contentious decision to pave over large tracts of the Toronto Greenbelt (which I have already commented on in some detail).  

Ford, in his trademark dismissive manner, says everything is clearly above board and innocent because it was "cleared with the integrity commissioner". "He cleared it 1,000 per cent", Ford claims with his usual bluster and penchant for hyperbole. In fact, Ford only went to the integrity commissioner in January, months after the party in question, and only when media outlets like The Star started questioning the integrity of Mr. Ford's decision. The commissioner, incidentally, notes that the informal opinion "is not a finding or the result of an investigation into a matter", and that it was assessed only "using the information made available by the member". Well, thank goodness for that; otherwise, we would have to seriously question the integrity of the integrity commissioner as well!

Doug Ford had always had that slightly sleazy used-car salesman vibe, but voters have always seemed able to willfully ignore this somehow. This latest episode will not help his trust credentials, or his claim to be working for the "little man" and the working classes. I hope that these people will remember it when they come to vote again. I am predicting that Ford will not survive for a full term this time. I can see other sleaziness oozing out of the cupboards and into the light of day over the next few months.