Rob Ford and George Smitherman abruptly pulled out of Wednesday’s debate sponsored by Get Active Toronto, a coalition encouraging people to get healthy through exercise.

Despite the last-minute cancellations, the event continued with mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone, who spoke to about 200 people at the downtown YMCA beside two empty chairs.

“I would say it’s disrespectful and disappointing,” said organizer Catriona Delaney. “We wanted to know where Mr. Ford and Mr. Smitherman stood on the subject of the importance of physical activity and the health of Torontonians. Their actions spoke louder than their words.”

Mayor David Miller is honorary chair of Get Active Toronto, a movement started by former Toronto medical health officer Sheila Basrur to address the fact that six out of every 10 Torontonians are inactive.

Attendees from coalition members, who include Toronto public health and parks and recreation, wanted to ask how they would curb Toronto’s fast rising obesity rate, Delaney said.

About an hour before, an e-mail came in from the Ford camp “saying they had been on their way, but an issue had arisen and they were suddenly unable to attend. They refused to disclose what the issue was.”

Then, seconds before the event was to start, the Smitherman camp withdrew, she said.

“We wanted to say if you’re the new mayor what are you going to do to improve the health and activity levels of Torontonians. We had 200 people interested in that subject.”

“It’s a travesty to do that to members of the public.”

Smitherman’s camp blamed Ford for pulling out. The Ford campaign declined to comment.

“We actually told all the organizers of debates this week that if Rob Ford was not going to be there, then we were not going to debate,” said Smitherman spokesperson Erika Mozes.

“We had made that decision because we think all Torontonians deserve to hear from the two candidates for mayor that will be mayor on Monday and that is a decision between George and Rob Ford.”

Pantalone said both candidates deserve blame for not showing.

“Ford has not attended a number of debates which is a bad habit for anybody who wants to be mayor of all the people. But Mr. Smitherman wants to copy that habit.

“I don’t know who is worse, the person who’s got the bad habit or the person who copies the bad habit. I think it’s shameful. You outperform somebody else by showing you’re better, not by showing you’re just as bad.”

The crowd was definitely disappointed, Pantalone said.

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“Let me tell you the people there were not impressed. These are people who care that 6 out of 10 Torontonians age 12 and over are inactive. Come on, this is a democracy.”

In addition to Toronto public health and parks and recreation, Get Active Toronto members include Sun Life, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, public and separate school boards, YMCA of Greater Toronto, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the Blue Jays Care Foundation, among others.