Doug Ford calls John Tory’s statement over group home comments ‘repulsive’

If you've been going through Rob Ford withdrawal while Toronto's chief magistrate is in "rehab," never fear; RoFo's big brother is taking up the slack.

Doug Ford, a Toronto city councillor who spends much of his time having Mayor Ford's back, has become a proxy campaigner for the mayor in his re-election battle (in addition to his existing role as Rob Ford's campaign manager.)

In that capacity, he's gotten into a war of words with rival mayoral candidate John Tory over the location of a new group home for teens with mental challenges, including autism, in the Fords' stronghold of Etobicoke.

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In response Tory calling Ford 'out of touch' and 'insensitive' for his comments on the Griffin Centre for developmentally disabled youth, Ford had some criticism for Tory of his own:

“For him to come out and make those statements is repulsive,” Ford said, according to the Toronto Sun. “This guy has never been in Etobicoke North in his life.

“I’d love to see what he would say if we put one of these homes bang beside his old place in Rosedale ... and see what all his elitist friends would say.”

The slam at Tory, a former Rogers Communications CEO, Ontario Progressive Conservative MLA and runner-up to David Miller in the 2003 Toronto mayoral election, is part of the Ford campaign narrative that Tory is wealthy elitist out of touch with everyday Torontonians (the Fords, by the way, are themselves rich).

The back-and-forth began last week when Doug Ford reportedly told a meeting involving angry local residents and staff of the Griffin Centre for developmentally disabled youth that the centre had "ruined the community."

“You can’t destroy a community like this. People have worked 30 years for their home," Ford said, according to the Etobicoke Guardian.

"My heart goes out to kids with autism. But no one told me they’d be leaving the house. If it comes down to it, I’ll buy the house myself and resell it.”

[ Related: Doug Ford draws criticism for saying group home 'ruined community' ]

Ford's comments triggered a statement from the Tory campaign over the weekend, labeling the Etobicoke North councillor's comments "deeply regrettable and from another age."

In the past, Tory said, the policy for dealing with the disabled was to shut them in large institutions, away from the community.

"‎Today, we know what is best for us and best for them is to include them in every possible way – at school and in our community," he said. "For Doug Ford to express surprise that kids with autism would 'be leaving the house' is incredibly out of touch and insensitive."

Ford, who acts as his brother's campaign manager, fired back Tuesday, calling Tory an "opportunist" for attacking his comments.

Tory campaign spokeswoman Amanda Galbraith told the Sun that Ford has consistently demonstrated poor judgement.

“We can now add how to care for children with autism and other disabilities to that list,” Galbraith said. “Saying it’s repulsive to defend the rights of children with autism to live as a part of our community is appalling.

“The best thing Doug Ford can do for his ward, and the residents of the Griffin Centre, is to take a breath and let the community work together to find a solution.”