The police were called after Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was frequently interrupted by shirtless protesters at a morning news conference about a plan to revamp Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto on Tuesday.
Ford held a conference at Eglinton and Westover Hill Road to discuss the Eglinton Connects plan, which proposes to give the busy corridor a facelift. Ford had to raise his voice over the shouts of placard-carrying protesters calling for the mayor to resign.
A group of shirtless protesters, inspired by a shirtless jogger whose rant on Canada Day went viral, stood in front and behind Ford as he spoke.
Ford acknowledged the protestors when questioned by a reporter, saying, "They can protest all they want. All I'm doing is saving the taxpayers money."
John Furr, one of the protesters at Tuesday’s press conference, told reporters he was simply exercising his right as a citizen.
“We didn’t pre-empt anyone’s right to hear the mayor’s message, we just took out right to get our message heard,” Furr said.
Furr and a handful of shirtless men were heard shouting at the mayor and calling for Ford’s resignation.
Dan Jacobs, the mayor's chief of staff, attempted to silence Furr throughout the mayor’s speech.
Jacobs asked Furr, who was standing behind Ford, to leave while putting his hand on the man's bare arm to escort him away.
When the protester refused to move, Jacobs called police, and after speaking to a police officer, Furr agreed to step aside.
The mayor continued to read his statement during the entire incident.
Doug Ford claims SUV was vandalized
Coun. Doug Ford called the shirtless protesters “fringe lunatics” and suggested that hecklers may have been planted by the mayor’s political rivals.
“It’s going to be a dirty campaign and, unfortunately, a couple other camps are lowering themselves to chase the mayor around,” Ford told reporters at city hall Tuesday.
Ford’s mayoral rivals have said they had nothing to do with the protesters.
Coun. Ford also claimed that the windows of his SUV were smashed in his driveway overnight, suggesting that the incident may have been politically motivated.
Ford, who arrived at city hall in a spare vehicle, insinuated that his vehicle may have been targeted.
“It’s pretty low that in a democracy like Canada, people resort to this and I think the questions will have to be pointed to John Tory and Olivia Chow,” Ford told reporters.
Mayoral candidate John Tory denied any involvement in the alleged incident.
“I find that kind of act reprehensible. I would never be involved with anything like that,” Tory told CTV Toronto.
A spokesperson for mayoral candidate Olivia Chow also denied the claims.
Doug Ford, who does not have any proof that the attack on his car was politically motivated, said he is reviewing security footage of his home and has asked the police to investigate the incident..
Ford opposes Eglinton Connects plan
During the press conference Tuesday morning, mayor Ford took aim at the city’s proposed Eglinton Connects plan.
Under the proposal, the area where the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT will be completed would be transformed into a mixed-use urban space, with enhanced pedestrian paths, bike lanes and more room for outdoor furniture.
The improved streetscape, however, may result in commuter chaos. Vehicular traffic will be reduced to a single lane – an idea, Ford says, that will cause parking headaches and commute delays for drivers.
Toronto's chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat says some of those worries about the proposal are a result of a misunderstanding.
"Clearly there's some confusion," she told reporters at city hall on Monday. "This is part of a complex city building exercise and it does take some work to help people understand what is proposed."
Ford held the conference at rush hour, and pointed out the impact LRT construction has had on the thoroughfare in the last few months.
"It carries thousands, thousands of residents to and from their jobs each and every day. Behind me, you will see a glimpse of what happens when lanes of traffic are removed from this crucial artery," Ford said.
"These are the short term growing pains that go along with expanding our transit system," he said, adding that the effects of the Eglinton Connects plan would be similar to that of lane closures during construction.
The Eglinton proposal is in front of city council for debate on Tuesday, at a meeting that started at 9:30 a.m.
With a report by CTV Toronto’s Natalie Johnson and files from Fan-Yee Suen
