(Image: Christopher Drost)
Because newspaper columnists love tying their columns to milestones—for instance, say, the first anniversary of Rob Ford’s 2010 election—some of the city’s finest weighed in this weekend on the mayor’s tenure so far. The columns were roundly predictable, but they do provide something in the way of worthwhile analysis, as well as a few lines we’re sure to be quoting for the coming months (the Toronto Star’s Royson James said the mayor treats Toronto “like a bastard child he’s never hugged and doesn’t know how to love”; we reluctantly concur). A roundup of who said what on Ford’s performance thus far, after the jump.
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A raft of new polls on the provincial election race is showing the same thing over and over: where once it looked like Tim Hudak could win the election in a cakewalk, it now appears there is a genuine race to form government in Ontario (in one poll, by polling firm Forum Research, only five points separated Hudak from Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty, with NDP leader Andrea Horwath running a strong third). But there is one player who’s noticeable because of the surprisingly weak effect he’s having on the race—Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford. 
In September’s cover story, long-time Toronto Life contributor Philip Preville explores the idea that Toronto is a hostile place for young families—prompting some to move to the new belt of exurbs in places like Dundas, Cobourg, and Port Hope—and attempts to figure out why these small towns hold such appeal for people who were once diehard downtowners. The article has stirred up more than a little reaction, and we’ll be the first to admit that not all of it has been positive. But that’s what quality conversation is all about. A list of some of the strongest critiques of Preville’s piece, after the jump. 
