Their founder may live in Ottawa, but this year Shopify was the difference between life and death for countless Toronto businesses. Charity circuit: He supports the Reena Foundation and, in memory of his father, mother and brother Rob, supports a number of local organizations dedicated to fighting cancer.
But even in his errors there has been evidence of a previously undisclosed political asset: his humanity.
He hasn’t been perfect-there was the time he got caught visiting his cottage after telling city folk to stay home. Witness Ford in shirtsleeves personally picking up boxes of mask donations to be distributed among police and health care workers, Ford making nice with his former enemies in the federal government, Ford calling out greedy landlords and price gougers. Unlike a certain someone south of the border, Ford has responded to unprecedented disaster by rising to the occasion (and wearing a mask!). In that moment, we didn’t see the bombastic blowhard who hacked up social safety or the Trump-lite figure who had cozied up to the right-wing fringe. Of the premier’s many, many, many appearances behind the podium over the last eight months, the most memorable was in late April, when Ford came close to tears revealing that his 95-year-old mother-in-law was among the many long-term care residents who had tested positive. In a year of devastation and heartbreak, influence was defined not only by those who hold power in the conventional sense, but also by those who helped others in whatever way they could. Or the nurse who volunteers to work at a long-term care facility mid-outbreak because if she doesn’t, who will? Or the Wheel-Trans operator who goes in on his days off to ferry infected citizens to their appointments. It might be the grocery store worker who clocks in during a pandemic because he knows his neighbours might not eat if he stays home. Above all, we learned that a true hero isn’t always the one with the airtime or the household name. BIPOC leaders, helped along by some high-profile athletes, rose up to fight for justice and equality and found a broader and more willing audience than ever before-although the work is far, far from done. A deeply unpopular premier proved he could be sensible, sensitive and open-minded. Our elected officials realized that the hyper-partisan schtick was quite unhelpful, thanks, and banded together to help a lot of people in a hurry. So many Torontonians showed we are at our best when times are toughest.
For a while, it threatened to rob our city of what makes it great. In a flash, Covid-19 stole some 1,400 of us-our moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, bosses and employees-and infected 20 times that many. It was a year of worst-case scenarios, a time we’ll never forget, try as we might. What counts for influence in a year like 2020? The standard markers of achievement-bills passed, deals closed, market share gained, playoff games won-don’t seem so consequential in a year in which the main preoccupation has been staying alive.
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