Doug Ford rally

Doug Ford upstaged by pranksters at leadership launch rally

Doug Ford is officially back in action on the campaign trail – this time at the provincial level – and so, too, is his biggest fan/hater (fanater?) Michael Dunbar Jr.

The former city councillor and brother of late former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford launched his bid to the lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario this weekend with a rally that wasn't in his mom's basement.

More than 1,500 people are said to have attended the event at Toronto's Congress Centre on Saturday night, many of them with signs to show their support for Ford's bid.

One of said sign carriers was the man on Twitter who goes by Michael Dunbar Jr. – a prankster, of sorts, who made headlines during Toronto's 2014 mayoral election by mocking Ford's liberal use of the word "folks."

Dunbar Jr. and a group of his fellow fake superfans were seen front and centre at Ford's rally on Saturday holding up a collection of letters that spelled out  "FOLKS."

Ford, who entered the room to "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky and left to Twisted Sister's "We're not gonna take it," did not acknowledge the "disingenuous" signs, but one of his campaign staffers took note.

Dunbar Jr. and others on Twitter report that someone working for Ford had confiscated some flyers from the group following Ford's speech.

The flyers, which looked just like any other campaign flyer but with every word replaced by "folks," were consistent with the rest of Dunbar Jr.'s satirical pro-Ford campaign.

You can find an exact replica of Doug Ford's campaign website right now at folksfolksfolks.com but, again, every word has been replaced by "folks."

Should Ford win the race for leader of the provincial PC Party (and then the election,) expect a long strong stretch of folksy fun aimed at Ontario's Premier.

Other candidates who've thrown their hat in the ring so far include Caroline Mulroney, PC candidate in York-Simcoe, and former Ontario PC leadership candidate Christine Elliot.

Lead photo by

Michael Dunbar Jr.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

What's open and closed on Victoria Day 2024 in Toronto

The breathtaking Mast Trail in Toronto follows a 200-year-old logging route

Moore Park Ravine is an escape from the city in midtown Toronto

The history of what was once Toronto's grandest mansion

This is how Toronto celebrated Victoria Day over 100 years ago

You can take in breathtaking valley views along the Vista Rouge Trail in Toronto

Downsview Park in Toronto is a massive urban park around an artificial lake

Canada is seeing one of the worst standard-of-living declines in 40 years