Read Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story Online
Authors: Robyn Doolittle
Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #General
Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story (45 page)
If you look at the Notes section of this book, you’ll see the names of dozens and dozens of reporters, radio hosts, and columnists whose work I have relied upon. I do need to single out the very talented Greg McArthur and Shannon Kari for their investigation into the Ford family’s history with drug
dealing published in
The Globe and Mail
, as well as their (and their colleague Patrick White’s) reporting on how those early relationships continued to play a role in Rob Ford’s life. I’d also like to acknowledge Jonathan Goldsbie, currently a reporter at
NOW
magazine, who can find anything on the internet and who has helped me so much through the years, and John Cook from Gawker, who came up to Toronto to investigate a tip, dropped a bomb on the city with the video story, and then stayed with it through every twist, drug raid, and pipe attack. And finally, my research assistant, Simon Bredin, who was given the horrible task of calling hundreds of people who went to high school with the Ford brothers. Thank you all so much.
I had three months to write this book, start to finish, including research. If I listed everyone who took me out for a meal during that time because I had no food in the house, or came over to walk the dogs, or offered to clean my condo, or helped me work through writer’s block, I’d need a whole other chapter. But to a handful of people—my mom and dad, sister Jamie, and soon-to-be-brother-in-law Peter, to Emma, Daniel, Emily, Janean, Matt, Cliff, and my writing buddy Lauren—I need to say quite sincerely, I could not have gotten through this without you. Thank you.
Finally, to Graham Parley, my (now retired) former city editor at the
Star
, who gave a first-round edit to every chapter before I sent it along to Penguin. There’s a reason you were my first call after I got this book deal. Graham, you are one of my favourite people in the world. “Mentor” sounds entirely too cheesy, but something like that. Thank you.
INDEX
ABC news,
297
Abdi, Siyadin (Siad friend),
234
access-to-information laws,
134
–
37
freedom-of-information requests,
122
,
135
,
137
,
150
,
153
accountability
Fair Elections Toronto,
164
journalists to the public,
195
–
96
Ontario Press Council,
247
–
51
Toronto city council safeguards,
82
,
124
See also
journalism and trust
Agar, Jerry (1010 radio),
244
–
46
.
See
also under
radio
Ainslie, Paul (city councillor)
Garrison Ball,
189
–
90
,
191
–
92
,
193
,
196
Garrison Ball story response,
201
–
3
mayor’s executive,
116
alcohol.
See
drugs and alcohol
AM640.
See under
radio
amalgamation.
See under
Toronto
American Press Institute (API),
239
–
41
Angus Reid,
16
,
94
.
See also
polls
approval rating (Rob Ford),
18
,
275
,
305
–
6
arts funding,
14
Atwood, Margaret,
126
Bahrami, Jamshid (Lisi associate),
278
Bailão, Ana (city councillor),
115
Baranski, Stefan (Smitherman campaign),
94
,
108
Barber, John
(Globe and Mail),
78
Barlow, Tom (candidate),
41
Barnett, Brooks (staffer),
146
,
149
–
50
,
151
Barry, Marion (Washington mayor),
229
Basso, Elena (15 Windsor Road),
265
,
267
Basso, Fabio (Rob Ford friend),
37
,
230
–
31
,
255
,
258
,
263
–
64
,
266
,
283
criminal record,
267
Basso, Lina (15 Windsor Road),
258
,
263
–
64
Batra, Adrienne (press secretary),
97
,
100
,
104
,
123
,
125
,
132
Baus, Det. Jacqueline,
138
Bedford, Paul (planner),
129
Bellamy, Madame Justice Denise,
166
Bellissimo, Bruno (Rob Ford friend),
190
,
276
–
77
Benzie, Robert
(Star),
235
–
36
,
268
Berardinetti, Michelle (city councillor),
124
,
129
Beyer, Tom (staffer),
282
Bier Markt.
See
St. Patrick’s Day and Bier Markt
The Big Shift
(Bricker and Ibbitson),
309
–
10
Bill
103
(amalgamation),
46
.
See also under
Toronto
Blair, Bill (police chief)
crack video,
229
–
30
,
283
–
85
Doug Jr. suggested Blair resign,
289
–
90
Rob Ford 911 recording,
132
“I’m disappointed,”
285
–
86
police budget,
139
Rob Ford and Project Traveller,
272
See also
police (Toronto)
Blatchford, Christie
(National Post),
231
–
32
,
239
Brejniak, Henryka (Rob Ford motherin-law),
78
,
138
Brejniak, Renata.
See
Ford, Renata (wife of Rob Ford)
Brereton, Pastor Wendell (candidate),
106
–
7
Bricker, Darrell
(The Big Shift),
309
–
10
Brown, Elizabeth (city councillor),
63
–
64
Bruser, Bert (lawyer),
208
–
9
,
210
,
218
Bruser, David
(Star),
261
Bussin, Sandra (city councillor),
66
,
77
,
171
Campaign Research,
84
Campbell, Diane.
See
Ford, Diane (wife of Doug Sr.)
casino,
231
Cavoukian, Ann (privacy commissioner),
136
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
“come-to-Jesus moment,”
306
crack video story,
227
–
28
Garrison Ball story response,
196
,
201
mayor’s “spying” accusation story,
158
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
(Marg Delahunty),
131
–
33
,
138
Centre for Law and Democracy,
134
–
35
Chaleff-Freudenthaler, Adam,
162
–
63
,
163
–
66
,
168
–
69
,
172
,
178
,
182
Cherry, Don (sports personality)
“wearing pinko for all the pinkos,”
109
–
10
Chong, Gordon (city councillor),
113
Christie Pits riots,
23
Christopoulos, George (press secretary),
173
,
198
,
225
,
282
Chuvalo, George (boxer),
197
,
198
–
99
Ciano, Richard (campaign manager),
84
–
89
,
92
,
93
The City
(Newstalk 1010).
See under
radio