Rob Ford stadium renaming a catalyst for the cancelled to get a second chance

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It turns out that at a time when they are routinely tearing down the legacy of past political giants, they are putting one up to celebrate Mayor Rob Ford? 

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Sometimes City Hall gets it right. 

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Who would have thought, on what would have been his 55th birthday, Ford would be the catalyst for ending cancel culture and bringing people from all political sides together. 

Toronto’s 64th mayor has done it. Oh, the irony.

On Tuesday night, Centennial Park’s football stadium was to be named after him — an appropriate tribute to the one-time high school football coach, long-time councillor and perhaps Toronto’s most internationally famous mayor. 

Having died of cancer at the age of 46 in 2016, the legendary ground game politician — who loved football as much as he loved Toronto — sadly is not around to see it. 

But it’s different for his kids, Stephanie and Dougie — now young adults — and his widow, Renata, too. And, don’t forget his siblings, Premier Doug Ford, and Randy and Kathy. 

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And his hundreds of thousands of supporters and fans who considered him family.

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This event was about more than a dedication of a football stadium. It’s an unofficial resurrection and tribute of a controversial, but effective man — honouring him not for what he wasn’t but for who he was. 

Rob Ford was for ending the gravy train at City Hall, the end of wasting taxpayer’s money — and he stepped on some big toes in doing so.

But as time has passed, even his foes realize this man lived and died to help Toronto have a better life.  When you see more left-leaning politicians on city council and one-time political foe Olivia Chow championing this honour, you realize that things have changed from the days when so many tried their darnedest to force this embattled mayor to pack it in and quit. 

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There was no quit in Rob Ford. 

Not many people can admit to smoking crack cocaine as mayor, and a whole lot of other controversies, and still get something named after him. So, this is a lesson for the future and on how to deal with the past. Some people are bigger than their mistakes. 

Ford definitely falls in this category. He was able to turn the corner and kick his addictions and get back to work at City Hall to fight for the little guy.

When it came to football, he did so much for the kids he coached and mentored. Some went on to college or even the CFL and NFL– and others to productive lives. But when one of his players didn’t do well and ended up in legal trouble, Rob did not give up on them.

I remember seeing him at a courthouse one time to support a player who was facing criminal charges and  and was seeking bail. 

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I remember him mourning the murder of one of his players on Toronto’s mean streets.

The Rob Ford Stadium is for everybody. He was complicated. But he is worthy of this pat on the back.

Ford had empathy for people. He had his own demons at times but also understood others did, too, and throwing them on to the trash heap was not the way to go. 

Ironically, if this stadium was already named after him, there would be people trying to remove the plaque and banish the memories — some of the same people attending this commemoration. 

When it comes to Henry Dundas, Sir John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson, Queen Victoria or James McGill, there seems to be a zero-tolerance approach towards their perceived sins. 

Erecting this plaque to Ford could be the catalyst to stow the cancellation of the others.

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No politician can be judged by one moment or one speech or decision. Ford was a man of the people.

He put money back in their pockets and brought some commonsense spending acumen to City Hall. All the other leaders who have had their statues taken down and names struck from history also did great things for Canadians. 

Eradicating them is not the answer. How they are handling the Ford stadium renaming is the answer. 

Rob felt this way and was supportive of renaming Toronto’s ferry dock after former federal NDP leader and councillor Jack Layton, whom he may have disagreed with politically but respected.

Just as Layton deserves that honour and the statue of him on a bicycle down at Queen’s Quay, Ford deserves this. 

Hopefully, the good will of looking past one’s flaws is catchy and this form of goodwill spreads to other leaders. 

On his birthday, it was Rob Ford who was given a second chance.

Perhaps, there should be efforts to pardon Macdonald, Dundas, Ryerson, McGill — and even Don Cherry, too. 

If that happened, perhaps it would be Ford’s biggest legacy. 

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