[Tewder]

It's a mixed bag. Sure, nobody wants to live in the "city with the crackhead mayor", but on the other hand, it does let the world know that we're a big, complicated city. The Ford narrative counters the world's stereotyped view that Canadians are boring and the rest of Canada's perception that Toronto is populated exclusively by effete, CBC-listening latte-sippers.

I sort of agree... and besides you're not really a big league city without a few international scandals, some infamous colourful characters, and probably an uprising or two. The ribbing just goes along with the territory. I mean, does anybody really take it seriously? Nobody but the most parochial, I would think... and I'm not in any way suggesting we should be grateful to the Ford Brothers (please don't think this), only that the small silver lining to the storm cloud that is the Ford era may just be in the bragging rights we get as a place that people talk about now.

 

[JWBF]

it doesn't matter that the article is from march. the city of toronto act hasn't been changed since then... and ford has violated it again since then, so my questions stand...

what's supposed to happen if someone violates the city of toronto act?

would a private citizen have to once again take ford to court?

We have already discussed this, and the powers that be are not concerned in the least with giving a shit.

So... shhhhhhh.

 

[evvabeing]

Back to the sex worker theme ...

My bet? House of Lancaster figures in prominently. (Link is NSFW)

I'll let somebody else Google all the connections, which include ownership, campaign donations and the Bloordale business improvement association. It may be nothing. It may be something. But it's certainly worth poking into.

(Poking. Haha. Get it?)

i find this kinda interesting...

Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the clubs generated a very healthy income. The Komodorous brothers were also able to cultivate friendly relations with local politicians and the Metro Police. Young police officers are as likely as any other young men to visit strip clubs, and many early patrons of the two clubs have gone on to senior positions. The relations with the police also helped in fending off several approaches by organized crime to insinuate itself into his business.

http://bloorlansdowne.blogspot.ca/2007/08/some-background-about-house-of.html

 

[evvabeing]

We have already discussed this, and the powers that be are not concerned in the least with giving a shit.

So... shhhhhhh.

if it's been discussed, please direct me to where, or please answer my questions if you can.

the city of toronto act seems to be ignored by authorities time and time again... so why isn't it enforced or changed?

edit: thank you voxpopulicosmicum for somewhat addressing it!

 

[animatronic]

if it's been discussed, please direct me to where, or please answer my questions if you can.

the city of toronto act seems to be ignored by authorities time and time again... so why isn't it enforced or changed?

If you read the rest of the act you'll see that there aren't any remedies for violation of the sections you've quoted. At best he could get busted by the integrity commissioner and forfeit up to 90 days of pay.

 

[James_D]

^Since we're talking about Bloor-street strip bars, cocaine, prostitutes, drug-abusing Conservative politicians and corrupt businesspeople from Etobicoke, I wonder if now is a good time to ask if Ford has any connection to Nazim Gillani? Paywalls and laziness are preventing me from posting minute details drawn from actual reportage, but there's more than enough rattling around in my brain to cite the following remarkable similarities to the current RoFo brouhaha:

-Gillani lived on Kipling, a few minutes from RoFo's house

-Gillani and his (then MP) buddy Rahim Jaffer very much enjoyed blow, booze, prostitues and conservative politics

-Jaffer skated on DUI and coke possession charges under dubious circumstances; Gillani skated on fraud charges under less-dubious (but still dubious) circumstances

-Gillani called Club Paradise "his office" and is rumoured to have conducted business meetings there and taken clandestine pictures of his associates (aka "marks")

-Gillani's "street name" was "Big Daddy G"; I wonder what RoFo's street name is, other than "Slurpy Jr."

Gillani also had an ex-argonaut football player as a bodyguard at one point.

I just went through the list of campaign donors to the Ford Campaign -- and this may be totally normal -- but it's amazing that almost everyone of the highest donors are big-time developers and contractors.

 

[evvabeing]

If you read the rest of the act you'll see that there aren't any remedies for violation of the sections you've quoted. At best he could get busted by the integrity commissioner and forfeit up to 90 days of pay.

thank you.

so maybe more of us need to complain about ford to the integrity commissioner...

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Gillani also had an ex-argonaut football player as a bodyguard at one point.

I just went through the list of campaign donors to the Ford Campaign -- and this may be totally normal -- but it's amazing that almost everyone of the highest donors are big-time developers and contractors.

From what I understand this is standard fare, especially in municipal politics.

^Not the bodyguard bit, but the developer/contractor bit. Come to think of it, I wish the bodyguard bit was the standard fare and the "open corruption" bit was out of the ordinary, but that's not the world we inhabit. At least it's disclosed now; I don't think that was the case 15 years ago.

 

[James_D]

Yeah, I figured as much. It's just weird to see how things work in such sharp focus.

I only mentioned the bodyguard bit because robbie too loves to hire former football players.

 

[evvabeing]

Gillani also had an ex-argonaut football player as a bodyguard at one point.

I just went through the list of campaign donors to the Ford Campaign -- and this may be totally normal -- but it's amazing that almost everyone of the highest donors are big-time developers and contractors.

for easy reference for others...

http://votetoronto.ca/~votetoro/en/...010-Campaign-Pre-disclosure-Election-2010.htm

votetoronto.ca/~votetoro/campsite/src/attachment/000000003.pdf

 

[evvabeing]

anyone know who clive and russ ford are?

FORD
Clive Ford 13-Sep-10 $100
Doug Ford 12-Oct-10 $250
Randy Ford 27-Sep-10 $1,000
Russ Ford 26-Mar-10 $250

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

I just went through the list of campaign donors to the Ford Campaign -- and this may be totally normal -- but it's amazing that almost everyone of the highest donors are big-time developers and contractors.

Do you suppose any of them own land along that proposed subway route?

 

[guitarchitect]

Do you suppose any of them own land along that proposed subway route?

Hehe, the same guy that told me about the Barbershop that launders money for Ford's dealer also told me about a lawyer he knows, who was bragging about how many "envelopes" he has passed along to city hall.
so it wouldn't surprise me - but it's not like it is in the US, where someone can bribe the mayor and the mayor can dictate what happens. since we have council ruling over everything in Canada, it makes it much less likely that bribing one or two officials will tip things in your direction...

 

[evvabeing]

for easy reference for others...

http://votetoronto.ca/~votetoro/en/...010-Campaign-Pre-disclosure-Election-2010.htm

votetoronto.ca/~votetoro/campsite/src/attachment/000000003.pdf

do you think there was a typo, and these two family names should actually be listed as one?

KOUMOUDOURS
Maria Koumoudours 30-Aug-10 $500
Nina Koumoudours 30-Aug-10 $400
Spiros Kououdours 30-Aug-10 $500

KOUMOUDOUROS
Alexandra Koumoudouros 12-Aug-10 $350
Spiro Koumoudouros 12-Aug-10 $450

i think so. but if someone can correct me, please do.

 

[evvabeing]

Hehe, the same guy that told me about the Barbershop that launders money for Ford's dealer also told me about a lawyer he knows, who was bragging about how many "envelopes" he has passed along to city hall.
so it wouldn't surprise me - but it's not like it is in the US, where someone can bribe the mayor and the mayor can dictate what happens. since we have council ruling over everything in Canada, it makes it much less likely that bribing one or two officials will tip things in your direction...

can we have any more clues as to which barbershop that may be?