Mayor Rob Ford kept a light schedule between March and July, his internal itinerary suggests.
Ford’s itinerary is an imperfect guide to his activities. He attends some events he does not include in his itinerary, and he does not attend some he does include.
Judging strictly by the itinerary, however, he was rarely busy in the 135 days between March 11 and July 23. Including meetings with his own staff, he averaged about two appointments per day, about three appointments per weekday.
Of about 235 appointments with people other than his staff, more than a third, 84, were meetings with individual constituents. Ford cherishes his work helping residents deal with small-scale problems — which are sometimes as minor as a dispute over a pile of sand — and the time he spends simply listening to their opinions and concerns.
Ford’s work habits became subject of political debate after a Torstar News Service story in May revealed that his itinerary had shrunk significantly since his first year in office. Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), a Ford critic, has called him a “part-time mayor”; his aides and allies have called him relentlessly hard-working.
Ford’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Friday. In May, Ford said on his radio show that his itinerary shows only “a tidbit of what’s really going on.” His brother, Councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), said he works “non-stop, 18 hours a day.”
Unlike predecessors David Miller and Mel Lastman, Ford does not release even a basic schedule of public appearances. Members of the public and media must file freedom of information requests to learn how he has spent his time.
He listed 40 appearances at community events, about one every three days. That is about the same number as during the same period last year, though far off the dizzying pace he set at the beginning of his term. He listed 110 events in the 69 days after he took office in Dec. 2010.
Ford, who coaches football at a Catholic high school in the fall, last year launched two summer teams he also coaches. His itinerary does not list the hours he spends on football, or the hours he spends returning residents’ phone calls.
Among the disclosures in the March-to-July itinerary:
• Ford listed 21 meetings with councillors. Of those, 19 were with allies. The other two were a City Hall meeting with Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28, Toronto Centre-Rosedale), who asked to brief him about plans for the Riverdale Farm, and an April lunch at the Eaton Centre restaurant Joey with Josh Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), who is among the councillors he disparaged in January as “two steps left of Joe Stalin.”
“We’d never really sat down one-on-one since I was elected. And I thought it was time we actually sat down and sort of tried to humanize our relationship,” Matlow said.
• Ford listed 10 private meetings with business leaders. One was a lunch at Canoe restaurant with Maple Leaf Foods executives Michael McCain and Scott McCain, TD Deputy Chair Frank McKenna, and Doug Ford.
He also listed meetings with L’Oreal Canada chief executive Javier San Juan, with representatives of casino companies MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, and with Talon International Development chief executive Val Levitan.
• Ford listed only two meetings with Ontario politicians from outside City Hall: his high-profile gun violence meeting with Premier Dalton McGuinty and a meeting with Don Valley East Liberal MPP Michael Coteau. Coteau asked for the “introductory” meeting, an aide said.
• Other than a hastily arranged meeting with black community leaders in the wake of the Danzig St. mass shooting in July, Ford listed no meetings with agencies that provide social services, groups advocating for the poor or immigrants, arts groups or environmental groups. Meetings with 2015 Pan Am Games CEO Ian Troop, new airport authority CEO Howard Eng, and Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Karen Leibovici were his only listed meetings with non-business officials outside the city government.
• Ford did attend two events held by service-providing churches. One was a wine and cheese fundraiser held by the proudly progressive Emmanuel Howard Park United Church near High Park.
“Highlight of the evening? Rob Ford showing up in the most left-wing, pinko, queer-friendly church in Toronto to thank us for all our hard work and give us a plaque,” one attendee wrote on Facebook. “HAHAHA!!! It was fabulous.”
Ford also made a speech at a convention held by the Church of God (Sabbath-Keeping) in his former Etobicoke ward. “He gave a very short speech on the importance of community-based non-profit organizations, how important they are to Toronto,” said senior pastor Howard Green.
• Odds and ends: Ford listed one meeting, with new solid waste chief Jim Harnum, as a Skype session; he took time to record a video for a resident’s bar mitzvah; he conducted the ceremonial coin toss at the Toronto Indoor Tackle Football League championship game between teams called the Dragons and the Goonz; he met with both hockey legend Eddie Shack and, according to the itinerary, the deputy mayor of Mogadishu, Somalia.
A sample of Mayor Rob Ford’s itinerary
May 20-26, 2012
Sunday May 20. 1 p.m.: Radio show.
Monday May 21 (Victoria Day). 9 p.m.: Greet Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
Tuesday May 22. 10 a.m.: Constituent meeting. 11 a.m.: Constituent meeting. 1 p.m.: Constituent meeting. 2 p.m.: Constituent meeting. 3 p.m.: Constituent meeting. 4 p.m.: Constituent meeting.
Wednesday May 23. 11 a.m.: Briefing with chief of staff. 2 p.m.: Scheduling meeting.
Thursday May 24. 1 p.m.: Constituent meeting. 2 p.m.: Constituent meeting. 4 p.m.: Constituent meeting.
Friday May 25. 12 p.m.: Media event regarding Gardiner Expressway. 1:30 p.m.: Meeting with deputy city manager Jon Livey. 3 p.m.: Recognition for Sal Cristello with Councillor Cesar Palacio.
Saturday May 26. 1 p.m.: Healthy Living Plus store opening.