As Rob Ford, the titanic Toronto Mayor, steams towards the iceberg called the "crack video," his handlers are spinning things this way and that, to keep his career from sinking.
If the video, now in police hands, turns out to actually show Rob Ford saving dolphins, or counseling his alleged drug dealing co-stars to give up their life of crime, then Rob Ford emerges triumphant. If, on the other hand, the reportedly brightly-lit video shows Ford puffing on a glass pipe, he still probably emerges triumphant. No one can prove, based on a video, what was in the pipe, can they? That's the technical argument Rob Ford's lawyer, and his brother Doug, have been trotting out before the media. They can still hide safely in the letter of the law, even after pissing all over the spirit.
Today the Toronto Star is reporting that Rob Ford may have paid the utility bills at the Etobicoke crack house where he is alleged to have been caught on cell phone video smoking a crack pipe.
If nothing else media coverage of Mayor Rob Ford has made me curious about his home turf of Etobicoke, the west Toronto neighbourhood, central to his rise, and possibly now, to his fall.
The former municipapity of Etobicoke -- pronounced "E-tow-bik-O" -- the "coke" is apparently silent -- is taking a pounding in the media. You can be excused for thinking it's a working class neighbourhood full of crime, and drug dealers, and crack houses, but it's nothing like that. Not a bit of it compares with Vancouver's drug-riddled Downtown Eastside. Instead, a bus driver I was discussing this with, who grew up in the Toronto area, compared Etobicoke to Richmond, B.C.
Etobicoke is described as having begun as a planned community back in the 1950s. A Toronto resident answering the question: "What's Etobicoke like?" four years ago, described it as having been designed for families, with good amenities like schools, and better garbage collection and transit than some parts of Toronto. It was, he wrote, a "great suburban place to live" ... "If you don't use drugs, or hang with dealers."
Nice caveat, but it does sound more like Richmond than not. A friend of mine described Etobicoke as a lot of strip malls, and that certainly describes some of Richmond's main drags -- strip malls, muffler shops, and fast food restaurants, as far as the eye can see.
Richmond, B.C. occupies the islands of the Fraser River delta, particularly Lulu Island. Our main airport is located on Richmond's Sea Island. Given it's location in a river delta, Richmond is table-flat, prone to flooding, has a high water table, and rich, alluvial soil. Most of East Richmond is dominated by cranberry and blueberry farms. Richmond has over a 60% immigrant population -- half identifying as Chinese.
According to the Wikipedia entry, Etobicoke was 58.7% White in 2011. The citation links to 2001 Statistics Canada data, but suggests Etobicoke almost mirrors Richmond demographically. The two areas are similar in size, but Etobicoke has nearly twice the population as Richmond: 347,948 to 190,473. To be fair a large chunk of Richmond is legally designated farmland, so the actual density in urban areas may be more similar than it appears.
No one I've talked to would describe Etobicoke as working class. Likewise, they wouldn't characterize it as wealthy, though it has rich areas. in that regard it's also sounds similar to Richmond. Etobicoke is certainly more than one crack house at 15 Windsor Road. Click the maps to enlarge them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VzLOaeNZEY
If the video, now in police hands, turns out to actually show Rob Ford saving dolphins, or counseling his alleged drug dealing co-stars to give up their life of crime, then Rob Ford emerges triumphant. If, on the other hand, the reportedly brightly-lit video shows Ford puffing on a glass pipe, he still probably emerges triumphant. No one can prove, based on a video, what was in the pipe, can they? That's the technical argument Rob Ford's lawyer, and his brother Doug, have been trotting out before the media. They can still hide safely in the letter of the law, even after pissing all over the spirit.
Today the Toronto Star is reporting that Rob Ford may have paid the utility bills at the Etobicoke crack house where he is alleged to have been caught on cell phone video smoking a crack pipe.
If nothing else media coverage of Mayor Rob Ford has made me curious about his home turf of Etobicoke, the west Toronto neighbourhood, central to his rise, and possibly now, to his fall.
What's Etobicoke like, besides Rob Ford?
The former municipapity of Etobicoke -- pronounced "E-tow-bik-O" -- the "coke" is apparently silent -- is taking a pounding in the media. You can be excused for thinking it's a working class neighbourhood full of crime, and drug dealers, and crack houses, but it's nothing like that. Not a bit of it compares with Vancouver's drug-riddled Downtown Eastside. Instead, a bus driver I was discussing this with, who grew up in the Toronto area, compared Etobicoke to Richmond, B.C.
Etobicoke is described as having begun as a planned community back in the 1950s. A Toronto resident answering the question: "What's Etobicoke like?" four years ago, described it as having been designed for families, with good amenities like schools, and better garbage collection and transit than some parts of Toronto. It was, he wrote, a "great suburban place to live" ... "If you don't use drugs, or hang with dealers."
Nice caveat, but it does sound more like Richmond than not. A friend of mine described Etobicoke as a lot of strip malls, and that certainly describes some of Richmond's main drags -- strip malls, muffler shops, and fast food restaurants, as far as the eye can see.
Richmond, B.C. occupies the islands of the Fraser River delta, particularly Lulu Island. Our main airport is located on Richmond's Sea Island. Given it's location in a river delta, Richmond is table-flat, prone to flooding, has a high water table, and rich, alluvial soil. Most of East Richmond is dominated by cranberry and blueberry farms. Richmond has over a 60% immigrant population -- half identifying as Chinese.
According to the Wikipedia entry, Etobicoke was 58.7% White in 2011. The citation links to 2001 Statistics Canada data, but suggests Etobicoke almost mirrors Richmond demographically. The two areas are similar in size, but Etobicoke has nearly twice the population as Richmond: 347,948 to 190,473. To be fair a large chunk of Richmond is legally designated farmland, so the actual density in urban areas may be more similar than it appears.
Etobicoke
Population: 347,948 (2011)
Area: 123.93 km2 (47.85 sq mi)
Density: 2,728.3/km2 (7,066/sq mi)
Richmond
Population: 190,473 (2011)
Area: 129.27 km2 (49.91 sq mi)
1,473.50/km2 (3,816.3/sq mi)
No one I've talked to would describe Etobicoke as working class. Likewise, they wouldn't characterize it as wealthy, though it has rich areas. in that regard it's also sounds similar to Richmond. Etobicoke is certainly more than one crack house at 15 Windsor Road. Click the maps to enlarge them.
Finally. The Rob Ford Crack video! From Taiwan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VzLOaeNZEY
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