Macford: A Tragical Historie of York 2010 - 2014

By Bob Dundas

After a praised king is murdered in uncertain circumstances, a charismatic leader is elected to wear the weighty mantle. His reign is marked by an untrustworthy brother, selfless wife, devoted friend, and many more comic and tragic characters.

When addiction threatens to destroy his legacy, Macford's actions change the course of York's history forever.

Macford is a five act Shakespearean tragedy following the rise, fall, and cult of personality surrounding a larger-than-life monarch.

End-of-act illustrations by NemoNova express a graphic disharmony of York.

Bob Dundas is a general labourer by day, and writer by night. He has a penchant for Indian cuisine, and Shakespeare’s histories. Dundas’s past work includes teaching children with learning disabilities, and stocking grocery shelves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Self-Published
• Release date: Jun 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781502250469

Book preview

My deepest thanks to these exceptional people for their much-needed encouragement: Elyse B., Chris C., Rob C., Elizabeth C., Anne and Frank C., Dawn at A.P., Dennis D., Stephanie F., Kendall H., Greg I., Klaas K., Mark L., NemoNova, Jennie N., Thyson and Vanessa P., Michael T., Debbie and Shawn W., and Shari W.

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To K.R.W.

For her unwavering support.

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Context of 2010 – 2014 Toronto Municipal Politics.

My name is Bob Dundas. I live and work in Ontario, Canada. When I first decided to take on Toronto municipal politics 2010 – 2014 in my play Macford, some friends suggested I not finish it. They asked, Hasn’t Toronto suffered enough through the boobery of Rob Ford and his fervent Ford Nation supporters? They reminded me, The Ford family’s Deco Labels business has made them very wealthy. And warned, You should be afraid of legal action from them. I needed to complete Macford because Rob Ford’s calamitous 2010 – 2014 Toronto mayoral tenure was too similar to the misadventures of Shakespeare’s tragedies to pass up. Once the lies of Ford were unearthed through the expert work of Toronto police and journalists; the soil was fertile to examine all of the themes native to Shakespeare: pride, anger, jealously, tyranny, and a host of devilish others.

The seething irony now apparent in famed hockey commentator Don Cherry criticising left-wing kooks for doubting Rob Ford’s ability to be the greatest mayor [Toronto] has ever seen at his mayoral inauguration on December 7, 2010, proved too fruitful to not investigate in a Bard-inspired tale. Cherry brashly asserted that Toronto’s pinkos put his unconditional support for Rob Ford’s forthcoming great governance, in [their] pipe and smoke it. Cherry’s quip reached new levels of Shakespearean surrealism three years into Rob Ford’s mayoralty.

On May 3, 2013, in Toronto’s west-end, a covert meeting befitting the plot of Shakespeare’s plays occurred. An alleged Toronto gang member met with Toronto Star reporters Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan. First, the broker who originally contacted Doolittle about an incriminating video of a prominent Toronto politician drove the reporters to a parking lot. Next, the twenty-seven year old alleged gang member got into the black sedan. He showed Doolittle and Donovan a video on a black iPhone. The Toronto Star reporters marvelled at the content of a video the alleged gang member said he might sell for a six-figure price. He played the video for them three times. The ensuing media circus made Toronto the epicentre of a scandal covered internationally. Late-night talk show hosts Lay Leno, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, and Stephen Colbert satirized the fantastic turn of events. Rob Ford was even lampooned in the November 16, 2013 opening sketch of Saturday Night Live, and referenced in a clue on the January 23, 2014 episode of the game show Jeopardy!

On October 31, 2013, Toronto police chief Bill Blair confirmed media reports sparked by the initial reporting of Doolittle and Donovan. Ford vehemently denied all accusations, and instead stressed saving taxpayers $1 billion through his mayoral policies. On June 13, 2013, Toronto police raided a west-end apartment in an unrelated investigation. Of the many gang-related items seized, a computer hard drive provided concrete proof of Ford’s inappropriate behaviour. Doolittle and Donovan were vindicated. Toronto police recovered files from the computer hard drive that contained the iPhone video Doolittle and Donovan viewed.  Six days later, Rob Ford admitted the truth. The truth took six months to be realized, Rob Ford claimed, because reporters didn’t ask the correct questions. This is the truth that nearly cost Doolittle and Donovan their careers. This is the truth from which additional lies sprouted. And this is the truth for which Don Cherry said on November 11, 2013, he was disappointed

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with Rob Ford. The truth was surreptitiously recorded on February 17, 2013: Rob Ford smoked crack cocaine from a glass pipe. And with the gusto of a Shakespearean king whose word is law, Rob Ford proclaimed he would not step down as chief magistrate of North America’s fourth-largest city.

Following the sympathy garnered by Rob Ford’s I’m not perfect narrative, additional revelations came to light: On October 31, 2013, Alexander Sandro Lisi, a friend

Reviews for Macford

[paulo8luigi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

100% of proceeds from this book go to charity. I love that!