We Got Him!: The Real Reason for 'You know whose' Parkland Grab

[Anbarandy]

Rob Ford talked of tearing down house contrary to agent’s comments at hearing on bid to buy parkette
Published On Sun May 6 Toronto Star

David RiderUrban Affairs Bureau Chief


Mayor Rob Ford talked on tape less than two years ago of plans to tear down his house and build a “nice” new one, contrary to his agent’s suggestion Friday to an agency considering Ford’s bid to buy parkland next door.

Ford was represented at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority hearing by Ross Vaughan, who said he is a longtime family friend and the real estate agent for the purchase of their Etobicoke home.

Vaughan said Ford is making the unprecedented bid to buy a 2,600-square-foot grassy parkette, with three trees and a hedge, out of security concerns “for their children, primarily” that arose after he became mayor in fall 2010. Ford plans to erect a new security fence with a “buffer” to his home, he said.

Asked by Toronto Councillor Maria Augimeri if Ford has any plans to tear down and expand his home, Vaughan told the TRCA executive that, based on property values in the upscale area, it would be “very unwise,” to tear down the solidly built bungalow.

“The house is really perfect from a construction point of view ... Whether or not future plans might include expansion of the property I couldn’t answer that question,”Vaughan said. “I can’t see any reasonable person wanting to tear down the building.”

Later, to reporters, Vaughan said: “It’s not the kind of house you would tear down by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever.”

But in a July 15, 2010 interview, Ford twice said he plans to do exactly that.

“Eventually I’m going to tear down my house there and build a new house,” Ford said, adding he got a great deal eight years earlier, spending $499,000 on the ravine-backed “little white bungalow” surrounded by “mansions” worth between $1 million and $2 million.

Later in the taped interview for a story about mayoral candidates’ home lives that appeared in the Star, Ford said he didn’t bring visitors to the toy-strewn home he shares with his wife and two young children.

“It has to basically be redone and we’re not going to redo it. I’m not going to put any money into it,” he said. “When the kids are a little older, probably in two or three years, when they’re maybe 6 or 7, and they’re all in school full time, I’m going to tear down the whole house and build a nice house.”

The conservation authority, after questioning Vaughan, voted 11-1 to let Ford’s application proceed, with staff for the TRCA and City of Toronto, which maintains the parkette, to write reports and make recommendations.

If the TRCA executive rejects Ford’s purchase bid, the application dies. If it endorses it, public hearings will be held and the application will go to the full TRCA board for a final vote.

Two days before the TRCA meeting, an angry Ford with his fist raised confronted a Toronto Star reporter who was on public property behind Ford’s back fence trying to identify the land he wants to buy. Ford accused the Star of spying on him; the paper has called that nonsense.

Ford's press secretary did not respond to a request for comment.

No wonder 'he' tried by stealth.
No wonder 'he' went beserk when the Star was on his tail
No wonder 'he' is quiet as a mouse now.

I knew it. I posted it. This a pure and simple land grab.

 

[wigglee]

i thought he would build a ferris wheel

 

[WinterHawk]

"We got him".... For a second I thought you were talking about Bin Laden... Hell I've wanted to put an addition on my house too, so? He's gone before the authorities asking for permission to buy some property, and based on the witch hunt being carried out by some elements of our fair city, I'd skip any ideas of tearing down his home until after I put up that security fence, and maybe a most for good measure..

 

[CapitalGuy]

Anabrandy is just cranky because no one will fuck her. Let her rant. It keeps her out off the streets and out of my line of sight.

 

[oldjones]

Or by paying an insider's price because some of the TRCA are appointees from the City. Which is why this sort of deal should be subject to the public scrutiny, which is media's job. A story which only the Star actually seems to have caught. It's also why smarter politicians disclose this sort of stuff themselves so they can control the story and not be embarrassed by 'being caught' as if they were hiding something.

However nothing can save a pol from the embarrassment of behaving like a steroid-addled two-bit bouncer trying to play super-hero and "…trap a trespasser" on public parkland. Never mind going on with his childish act after he recognized he was dealing with a reporter. Not smart enough.

 

[train]

I hear a few hundred "land grabs" occurred today!

Or was fatso trying to steal this land without paying for it?

You mean like the developers and some councillors did with that new subsidized housing in Regent Park. Sorry they didn't steal , they just got first dibs at favourable pricing. That story was exposed by the Sun not the Star because it involved the leftie councillors.

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/26/tchc-chairman-wants-audit-of-regent-park-project

 

[msog87]

lol this is so stupid, if hes buying the property anyway, who cares what he does with that property? sure maybe hes lying on the reason in order to help get clearance to buy the property, but in the end who cares what he does with it? besdies that, he does have whackos he needs to keep away from his house so the star gave him the best ammo on why he needs to buy the property

 

[guelph]

lol this is so stupid, if hes buying the property anyway, who cares what he does with that property? sure maybe hes lying on the reason in order to help get clearance to buy the property, but in the end who cares what he does with it? besdies that, he does have whackos he needs to keep away from his house so the star gave him the best ammo on why he needs to buy the property

He wants to buy parkland. If he told the truth about why he wants it. The sale may not be approved. Therefore he takes the Ford patented approach lie.

 

[fuji]

lol this is so stupid, if hes buying the property anyway, who cares what he does with that property? sure maybe hes lying on the reason in order to help get clearance to buy the property, but in the end who cares what he does with it? besdies that, he does have whackos he needs to keep away from his house so the star gave him the best ammo on why he needs to buy the property

It's unprecedented for a private citizen to buy a public park. Moreover, he is the mayor, so fundamentally the people who have to decide whether to allow the sale are at some level his own employees. A public consultation will be held at which members of the public will be invited to come and comment on whether the sale of the park to the mayor should be allowed--and presumably, those citizens will need some information, in order to comment. If they sell the park to him at less than its likely market value of a half million dollars then he stands to make huge money off the taxpayer.

You REALLY don't see why this is a story?

 

[Anbarandy]

You mean like the developers and some councillors did with that new subsidized housing in Regent Park. Sorry they didn't steal , they just got first dibs at favourable pricing. That story was exposed by the Sun not the Star because it involved the leftie councillors.

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/26/tchc-chairman-wants-audit-of-regent-park-project

More like being dishonest about his real intent for the unprecentended purchase of TRCA parkland by a private citizen.

Let's be clear here. The TRCA has NEVER approved the sale of any it's property to a private citizen whose private property as is in this case has clearly marked boundaries that leave no question as to claim of land. It's mandate is NOT as a property SELLER to private interests especially one who attempts to deceive it.

And yes oldjones is right, the TRCA has automatic 'you know who' rubber stamps' on it's board. This whole thing stinks to high heaven. And no wonder 'you know who' has suddenly become a mute after his 'look at me I'm such a victim' rampage.

 

[oldjones]

lol this is so stupid, if hes buying the property anyway, who cares what he does with that property? sure maybe hes lying on the reason in order to help get clearance to buy the property, but in the end who cares what he does with it? besdies that, he does have whackos he needs to keep away from his house so the star gave him the best ammo on why he needs to buy the property

First: The Property is not on the market; the Mayor of Toronto is trying to persuade the Toronto Region Conservation Authority* to sell it. To him. Oddly enough he has a say in who sits on the TRCA and makes such decisions.

Second: As to what he might do once he owns it, we can consider that when he does. But if he lies to persuade a public body to sell him public land, saying that he simply wanted it for security, but really wanted to build on it, that would make a large difference and should be clarified before the decision. Especially because TRCA exists in order to stop people from building, and acquires its land for that purpose. The best thing is to see the decision is made with full and open knowledge so it's the right decision and doesn't have to be unmade—if it can be—later when the truth comes out. The Star was getting the matter into the open, the Mayor was not.

Third: A reporter on public land, looking at your house in full daylight, even if he's taking pictures—as the Star's guy did when he 'caught' the trash bins improperly put out at Miller's hose—is not a whacko. A guy who deliberately tries to corner someone on public land and threaten him with violence, definitely is. If the Mayor has reason to be fearful, then he has reason to put his security in the hands of professionals who don't behave like whackos. One of his many dumb decisions was to refuse the customary Police offer to provide just such security. It would have avoided all this fuss, and left him with some reputation intact.

Fourth: The Mayor made this whole TeapotTempest because a guy looked over a fence at his house. Assuming he buys the property, and assuming he's telling the truth and never changes his mind about building, just how will another fence on another piece of land, with park beyond it, make anything different? He won't be one single bit more secure from spying eyes. But he will own a nice chunk of formerly public land.

It would be nice if we could stick to discussing the Mayor's official rather than personal failings and aberrations; there's certainly enough material there. But Rob appears especially gifted in the open and spectacular mismanagement of his private[sic] life, and is clearly unable to keep it private. Just a little conventional wisdom: let a driver drive while you make Mayoral phone-calls, let the police secure your safety, don't argue with drunks in public, don't fight with the press, …, …, would make everyone's lives easier. But wisdom and our Mayor appear never to have been introduced.

*The TRCA and other area Conservation Authorities were established after the the deaths and destruction of Hurricane Hazel, which were largely due to badly-regulated building on watershed land (like the ravine behind Ford's house) and on flood plains. Their mandate was to acquire such land and to hold it vacant in a natural state to preserve the natural drainage and thereby prevent future disasters like Hazel.

One could argue that a sale which included a covenant never to build or develop the land in a way that affected drainage would still fulfill their mandate. One could not so argue if, absent such an undertaking the buyer then built the biggest house the Zoning Bylaw permitted, with a hardscaped patio and drive to replace the soil and vegetation. It isn't just whether a sale would indicate undue influence by the Mayor, it's also whether the sale would be contrary to the Conservation Authority's mandate and public-safety purpose. Thus, whether the land is to be used for building is their direct and serious concern.

And ours.