Rob Ford
A populist, scandal-plagued Toronto mayor whose tumultuous tenure became a global spectacle of personal drama and political rebellion.
1969–2016 (age 47)·Canadian politician·Birthday: May 28·Generation X
Biography
Rob Ford was a political phenomenon who operated with the blunt force of a talk-radio caller. A city councillor known for returning constituents' calls personally and railing against government waste, he rode a wave of suburban frustration straight into the mayor's office in 2010. His tenure was defined by a fierce commitment to a 'subways, subways, subways' transit plan and a war on what he deemed 'the gravy train' at city hall. However, his mayoralty unraveled in a very public saga involving substance abuse, with admissions of crack cocaine use captured on video, leading to international notoriety. Stripped of most of his powers but refusing to resign, Ford became a polarizing symbol of a certain brand of anti-establishment politics, his personal struggles overshadowing his policy aims.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rob was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2016Died at 47
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Served as the 64th Mayor of Toronto from 2010 until a council vote stripped him of most powers in 2013.
- Elected and re-elected as a Toronto City Councillor, representing Etobicoke North for a decade.
- His administration eliminated the city's vehicle registration tax and pursued contracting-out of services to cut costs.
Did You Know?
He was a championship-winning high school football coach at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School.
In 2013, he admitted to smoking crack cocaine while in a 'drunken stupor.'
His brother, Doug Ford, succeeded him as a councillor and later became Premier of Ontario.
“I have nothing left to hide.”
