Watch the Moment Thousands of People Booed Doug Ford at the Toronto Raptors’ NBA Championship Parade
The Premier of Ontario keeps getting booed at major public events
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has managed to pull off a rare three-peat.
After he was recently booed at the Special Olympics and then booed a second time at a big tech conference, Ford rounded things off by getting booed an unprecedented third time Monday at the Toronto Raptors’ NBA championship parade.
Ford, who recently shutdown the Ontario Legislature and gave himself a five-month paid summer break, has seen his approval ratings nosedive following a series of reckless and widespread cuts targeting working families as well as Ontario’s most vulnerable citizens.
Notably, that includes deep cuts to education, something educators say may impact school sports programs and other after-school activities.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation recently warned Ford’s cuts will mean “fewer professionals in schools available to volunteer their time for extra-curricular programs, clubs, and teams.”
Video from the event shows Ford was loudly booed by thousands and thousands of people gathered outside Toronto City Hall when his name was announced as one of the VIPs observing the victory ceremony:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was greeted with a chorus of boos when he was announced to the crowd at the #raptorsparade. #onpoli #wethenorth
MORE: https://t.co/76D3MRlhzU pic.twitter.com/bLXliWXeyz
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) June 17, 2019
The boos appeared to sound even louder from inside the crowd:
Ontario premier Doug Ford’s reception in Toronto was icy. ? pic.twitter.com/mR5oS8IvTb
— theScore (@theScore) June 17, 2019
Premier @fordnation gets booed after he was introduced on stage #onpoli #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/hbXb8rbxZC
— Marieke Walsh (@MariekeWalsh) June 17, 2019
Premier Doug Ford just got a massive boo here at @npstoronto. pic.twitter.com/gSaZ3TFYyj
— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) June 17, 2019
Ford’s reception was so icy, it appeared to be too much to bear for Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry:
Kyle Lowry reacts to Doug Ford getting the Gary Bettman treatment. ?? #JayAndDan pic.twitter.com/5Ob4P8OF9b
— #JayAndDan (@JayAndDan) June 18, 2019
That wasn’t Ford’s only airball of the day.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri — who may not even know who Ford is — appeared to brush off the Premier’s advances as he leaned in for a bro-hug.
The GM just blew by Premier Ford in 2 seconds flat. I’m not sure he even knew who Ford was. pic.twitter.com/5kkQ4UK9eT
— Dean Brown (@PxPOttawa) June 17, 2019
While Ford wore a Toronto Raptors t-shirt Monday, he hasn’t always been one of the team’s biggest supporters.
Doug voted against the Raptors practice facility he’s now standing in front of. It costed the city zero dollars. https://t.co/3uCd1iR5Bn
— Mike Layton (@m_layton) June 15, 2019
As a Toronto city councillor, Ford and Mayor Rob Ford were the only two people to vote against approving the construction of the Raptors’ practice facility.
At the time, Ford and his late brother were stubbornly voting against things the rest of city council were in full agreement about.
Council votes 38-2 to approve a no-cost-to-city Raptors practice facility at the Ex; Rob Ford and Doug Ford against: http://t.co/ol65eDLVot
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 26, 2014
The facility was to be of no-cost to the city and, as per the agreement, the city’s parks department would be able to give community groups access to the facility.
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