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Duly Quoted: Doug Ford

By Torontoist

“Well good luck to Margaret Atwood. I don’t even know her. If she walked by me, I wouldn’t have a clue who she is.”
—Councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), proudly proclaiming his inability to identify one of Canada’s (and this city’s) most prominent cultural figures, Margaret Atwood. Ford was firing back at the internationally renowned author after she tweeted about a petition to protect Toronto’s libraries from KPMG’s suggested cuts. According to the Star, Ford also said Atwood was “uninformed” and she should run for office if she’s interested in influencing policy.

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  • Paul_Barry_karn

    honestly, fuck this guy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Simmons/501476789 David Simmons

    Stay classy, Doug, stay classy…

  • isyouhappy

    we need to stop feeding our elected trolls with attention.

  • http://rmcw.wordpress.com rmcw

    The message here is “unless you are elected, we don't need to listen to you.”

    Unless you are a left-wing councillor, of course, in which case, the message is, “unless you are elected by the right people, we don't need to listen to you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1456953199 Kat Mf

    Aaaaahhhhh – every time I read a quote by one of these two clowns that are hellbent on driving our city into the ground, I cautiously wait for my brain to explode.

  • CraigC_TO

    Tweedle Doug strikes again!

  • http://twitter.com/Welshgrrl Vashty Hawkins

    I was under the assumption that Doug was the *smarter* brother … oops!

  • tomwest

    Would you?

  • http://www.new-media.ca Apriori

    He was born in 1964, which means he was attending high school (and even maybe a college class or two) in the 80s. Atwood became school material in high schools around that time which leads me to believe Doug was smoking pot in the ravine during English class.

  • http://piorkowski.ca qviri

    Well, he is. Rob's answer to a question about Margaret Atwood wouldn't contain anything at all related to Margaret Atwood. High chance of Sixty Million Dollars of Savings and The People Tell Me though.

  • http://twitter.com/mark_dowling Mark Dowling

    here's the thing though – Nick Kouvalis has probably told him there are a lot of other people who don't know her either.  I have thought for some time that their disdain for libraries, environment and transit is actually calculated to ensure they always keep the Toronto Sun Comment Section vote.  They are probably cheering right now.

  • http://www.bitpicture.com Marc Lostracco

    Margaret Atwood should think about doing a reading in an Etobicoke doughnut shop. It would raise her profile in the ward.

  • jakelundy

    He's clearly trolling.  It's sad to see American style culture wars imported here.

  • Jamie Laidlaw

    Lost in a little mind in a large body. Borrowing from Al Capone which is less than a coincidence who stated in court that he did not even know what part of Chicago Canada was in.

  • Jamie Laidlaw

    Running for office? Meaning only elected representatives matter in a democracy. Now that requires some defence.

  • Patrick_Metzger

    Keep in mind that not only are there more Tim Horton's than public libraries in Etobicoke, Toronto boasts an impressive 2:1 Ford to Atwood ratio.

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    If the mayor and his brother actually managed to physically cram feet in their respective mouths, there's a segment of the population that would nod approvingly and murmur about the value of a healthy appetite.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=28132417 Matt Patterson

    Wait.  So Doug Ford is somehow unfamiliar with a central figure in Canadian literature and a staple of high school reading lists, and this is an argument FOR closing libraries down in his neighbourhood?  I guess that's what we should expect from the people who brought us such other arguments as “gridlock is really bad so let's encourage people to drive more”.

  • rich1299

    I get that he's the mayor's brother but Doug Ford is officially just another councilor, why is he acting more like the mayor than Rob? Doug isn't even the deputy mayor, he's just another councilor yet because of his family connections and the fact that his brother Rob needs what brains Doug can spare for him he gets to act as if were the co-mayor of this city. What a disgrace, even the two of then combining their brain power still show an amazing lack of comprehension of city issues and math, lets not forget their math problems sadly this Glad Hand cartoon is too spot on   http://torontoist.com/2011/07/…

  • Anonymous416

    Spite-based politics.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Halperin/505258134 Jeff Halperin

    I think Doug meant that he would recognize her in print, but not her face.

    I'm sure he's read the Edible Woman!

  • istoronto

    Of course Doug Ford wouldn't be able to recognize Margaret Atwood, in the same way I wouldn't be able to recognize any Leaf, Raptors, Jays of Argo player. Except for maybe Mike Clemons and Don Cherry.  He, probably doesn't read for pleasure, if he reads at all. Like wise, I have zero interest in watching sports. But that shouldn't be the point, here. The issue is that Ford has discounted a citizen's opinion, on their belief in the importance of Libraries. Which is odd, because his brother Rob, has invited all citizens down to city hall tomorrow, to have their say. Which is it boys? Shut the f**K up, or come on down and let us know what you think.

  • Toronto_Dave

    Add to that…”Unless you are elected by the right people AND on side with Ford Nation…”

  • Toronto_Dave

    You're exactly right. It's about the supposed “anti-elitist” constituency, where “elite” means “What, you think you're smarter than me?” rather than, you know, rich, powerful people who control things.

    It also explains Robbie's “If it ain't roads, garbage collection or police, I ain't interested” comments last week.

  • http://twitter.com/mark_dowling Mark Dowling

    “come on down and let us know what you think…” … if you agree with us.

    If you disagree with us, you're part of a lobby group and your opinion is of no value.

  • Toronto_Dave

    I think it's “Shut the f**K up if you disagree with us, but if you're a proud member of Ford Nation, then come on down and shower us with praise.”

  • AlexanderWiebe

    I don't follow the NBA, so I doubt I would recognize the Raptors' coach if he passed me on the street.

    Guess that means he knows nothing about basketball.