Rob Ford’s future is the subject of rapid speculation like never before. Wherever he is now — rehab or not — many presume he’ll be back soon enough and readily jump back into Toronto’s mayoral campaign.
The spectre of his return dominates Toronto’s public conversation. Will Ford resume campaigning as soon as the 30 days are up — clean bill of health or no? Can he win? The smart money says no.
Ford’s amateurish campaign launch on April 17 spoke to how the past 12 months of disgrace, dishonesty and grimy revelation had driven away the power brokers who propelled him to office four years ago, leaving a shell operation overseen by his brother Doug.
However steep the odds against him, Ford’s past resilience makes him a marvel — the political equivalent of an inflatable punching toy. The last missing segment in Ford’s tragi-comic arc is redemption.
Either the rise and fall of Rob Ford has reached its final traumatic chapter, or there’s a whole new volume to be written. This week for Maclean’s — available in our digital edition and on newsstands this week — Charlie Gillis and Anne Kingston explain why the never-ending Ford saga is far from over.