Read the complete write-up of Doug Ford net worth, age, height, salary, family, wife, children, brother, approval rating as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Doug Ford is a Canadian businessman and politician who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and Leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He represents the Toronto area riding of Etobicoke North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
With his brother Randy, Ford co-owns Deco Labels and Tags, a printing business operating in Canada and the United States that was founded by their father, Doug Ford Sr., who served as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1995 to 1999. Ford was a Toronto city councilor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North from 2010 to 2014 at the same time that his brother, Rob Ford, was mayor of Toronto. Ford ran for the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, where he placed second behind John Tory. In 2018, Ford won the party leadership election of the PC Party and led the PCs to a majority win in the 2018 Ontario general election.
Early life
| Name | Doug Ford |
| Net Worth | $50 million |
| Profession | Politician, Businessman |
| Height | 1.7m |
| Age | 58 years |
Doug Ford whose real name is Douglas Robert Ford Jr. was born on November 20, 1964 (age 58 years) in Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada. He was the second of four children of Doug Bruce and Ruth Diane Ford. His paternal grandparents were English immigrants. He attended Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute for five years, graduating in 1983. He then attended Humber College for two months before dropping out.
Career
In the 1990s, Ford became involved in the running of Deco Labels and Tags, a business co-founded by his father in 1962. The company makes pressure-sensitive labels for plastic-wrapped grocery products. Doug Jr. became president of the company in 2002 and was responsible for the company’s expansion into Chicago. Nearing his death, his father divided up the company, leaving 40% to Doug Jr., 40% to Randy, and 20% to Rob. In 2008, Doug Jr. launched the purchase of Wise Tag and Label in New Jersey and fired Wise Tag’s manager. Former Deco employees suggest that the Chicago branch was well-managed under Doug Jr., and that he was well-liked, but that the company declined under Randy’s leadership after Doug Jr. entered politics in 2010. As of 2011, Ford and his mother were directors of the company, managed by his brother Randy.
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Ford’s first involvement in politics came when Doug Holyday approached Deco to print “for mayor” stickers for signs for his 1994 campaign for mayor of Etobicoke. Ford took it upon himself to canvass for Holyday. He then assisted in his father’s campaigns as a PC MPP candidate in 1995 and 1999. He also ran his brother Rob’s council campaigns in 2000, 2003, and 2006, and Rob’s winning mayoral campaign in 2010.
Municipal politics
On October 25, 2010, Ford was elected as councilor to Toronto City Council in Ward 2. He succeeded his brother, Rob, who ran successfully for mayor of Toronto. Upon election, Doug Ford announced that he would donate his $100,000 annual salary to community organizations.
As a city councilor, Ford voted to privatize garbage pickup west on Yonge Street,[clarification needed] declare the Toronto Transit Commission an essential service, reduce the office budget of city councilors and eliminate the vehicle registration tax. While on the city council, Ford served on the board of Build Toronto, an arm’s-length city body responsible for developing and selling city land. He was also a director of the Canadian National Exhibition and served on the Budget Committee, the Civic Appointments Committee, and the Government Management Committee at Council.
Ford was a member of the board of Toronto Transit Infrastructure Limited, a corporation set up to finance a Sheppard Avenue subway extension, which the Council later canceled. In 2011, Ford promoted an alternative plan for the Port Lands district of Toronto, including a monorail, a boat-in hotel, the world’s largest Ferris wheel, and a mega-mall. The plan was ridiculed in the media and the council voted it down—including by members of the mayoral executive committee.
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Doug Ford caused controversy after revealing that his brother Rob would be served a subpoena if Rob’s friend and driver Alexander Lisi went to court over charges of extortion. Ford commented that the subpoena was in “payback” of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair not getting a contract renewal with the Toronto Police Service, saying “This is why we need a change at the top”, in regards to Blair’s contract. Blair filed a defamation lawsuit, demanding a written apology in exchange for dropping the suit. Ford apologized verbally and then later apologized and retracted the comments in writing.
An investigative report by The Globe and Mail published in May 2013 alleged that Ford sold hashish at James Gardens for several years in the 1980s, based on interviews with anonymous sources. Ford, who had never been charged with an offense, denied the allegations and accused the newspaper of unfairly targeting his brother, then-mayor Rob Ford. The newspaper defended its report and its use of anonymous sources at an Ontario Press Council hearing, which dismissed complaints against the newspaper and found that its coverage was “fair and ethical”. Ford said at the time that he planned to sue the newspaper for libel. When asked in a 2018 interview why he had not sued, he replied that he had decided a lawsuit would be a “waste of time”. Ford opposed a house for developmentally disabled youth in his ward, saying the home had “ruined the community”.
Councilor
In June 2013, Ford announced that he would not run for re-election as councilor in the next Toronto election, scheduled for 2014: “I won’t be running next time, at least down here I won’t be running, I’ll be running away from this place in 16 months”, expressing his frustration with municipal politics. It was speculated at the time that Ford may be a Progressive Conservative candidate for a future Ontario election, or interested in the leadership of the PCs. On February 20, 2014, after meeting with PC leader Tim Hudak, Ford announced that he would not be a candidate in the next provincial election, which was called for June 12, 2014, so that he could focus on his brother’s re-election campaign. Ford added that he did intend to be a candidate in a subsequent provincial election, saying: “The timing right now just doesn’t work.”
After his brother Rob Ford entered drug rehab in May 2014, Doug Ford commented that he would not rule out running for mayor. Rob Ford returned from rehab and continued his campaign for mayor, but withdrew after he was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor and hospitalized. Doug Ford then entered the mayoral campaign in the last hour before the nomination deadline on September 12, 2014. Comments Ford made during the campaign received criticism for alleged bigotry, such as misogyny and antisemitism, and critics accused him of conflict of interest and of drug dealing in the past. Though voters viewed the brothers as having the same ideological stance and gave them similar levels of support, Rob’s drug scandal received little attention with regard to Doug’s campaign.
Ford’s campaign got the attention of Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver, who closed an episode begging Torontonians to vote for Doug Ford for the world’s amusement. Doug Ford maintained the support that Rob had in the polls, and made no significant ground against frontrunner John Tory, but maintained his lead over Olivia Chow. Ford lost the election to Tory, having 34% of the support compared to Tory’s 40%. Ford’s campaign was fined $11,950 for placing 478 illegal lawn signs during the campaign, including placing signs on the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner Expressway, and on civic buildings and parks.
Following his unsuccessful mayoral candidacy, there was speculation that Ford would become a candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Ford told reporters: “It’s on the table, I would really consider it”, and added: “Our campaign is ready to go. Our people are itching to get involved. We are miles ahead of the other candidates.” On November 27, 2014, Ford announced that he would not be a candidate for the position and endorsed the candidacy of family friend Christine Elliott.
In December 2016, the City of Toronto’s integrity commissioner concluded that Ford broke the city’s code of conduct when he was a councilor finding that Ford improperly used his influence in municipal matters pertaining to two companies that were clients of his family’s company. Integrity Commissioner Valerie Jepson ruled that: “Councillor Ford took no steps to establish clear lines of separation between his responsibilities as a member of Council and his duties as a principal of Deco.” Since Ford was no longer a councilor by the time the ruling was issued, the commissioner did not recommend any sanctions for Ford.
On September 9, 2017, Ford announced at his family’s annual barbecue that he would run for mayor of Toronto in the 2018 election, saying “this one’s for you, Robbie”, referring to his younger brother Rob who had died the previous year. Ford said that his opponent, John Tory, was “all talk and broken promises”. On February 1, 2018, Ford announced that he no longer planned to run for mayor that year because he intended to focus entirely on his campaign for Ontario PC leader.
Doug Ford actively supported the two Toronto mayoral campaigns of his brother Rob Ford. In federal politics, Ford supports the Conservative Party of Canada and several provincial conservative parties, including the Alberta United Conservative Party.
Ford previously endorsed the economic policies of the United States Republican Party and the presidency of Donald Trump, however after Trump announced tariffs on Canadian aluminum imports in August 2020, Ford expressed his disapproval, calling Trump’s policy “totally unacceptable”.
Wife
Doug Ford is married to longtime girlfriend Karla. They have four daughters: Krista, Kayla, Kara, and Kyla. He has said that Karla’s maternal grandparents were Jewish and immigrated to Canada from Europe to flee persecution. However, Ford became an “ethical vegetarian” after working in a meatpacking plant as a teenager, and while this is no longer the case, he still does not eat red meat. Ford, who is obese, has struggled with his weight at least since 2012 when he publicly attempted a weight loss challenge. He is occasionally fat-shamed in the media, having been previously called “unfashionably overweight”. Ford’s mother Diane died from cancer in January 2020.
Books
A book by Doug and Rob Ford titled Ford Nation: Two Brothers, One Vision – The True Story of the People’s Mayor appeared in 2016. In a November 2017 episode of the TVO series Political Blind Date, Ford was paired with then Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) Bramalea—Gore—Malton MPP, Jagmeet Singh (who would later go on to lead the federal NDP). The pair explored different forms of transportation, with Singh taking Ford on a downtown Toronto bicycle ride while Ford drove Singh along the dedicated streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair Avenue. Ford said of the experience that the two became friends, and Singh said Ford was “very warm and friendly”.
Charity
In 2014, Doug and his mother donated $90,000 to Humber River Hospital, where Rob Ford was receiving care. Upon Rob’s death, Doug and Randy took on stewardship of Rob’s share of Deco Labels and Tags.
In 2018, Rob’s widow sued Doug and Randy for mismanagement of Rob’s estate, saying their actions deprived her and her children of due compensation while overseeing business losses at Deco Labels totaling half of the company’s market value. In response, Doug alleged that the claims and the lawsuit’s timing in the same week as the 2018 Ontario election amounted to extortion.
Doug Ford net worth
How much is Doug Ford worth? Doug Ford’s net worth is estimated at $50 million as of 2023. His salary is around $410,000. He is one of the richest and most influential politicians in Canada. However, in 2021, Doug Ford’s approval rating dropped about 8% which was one of the highest in his political career.