They call themselves the Canadian Kennedys. And they’re one of the most famous political dynasties to ever exist in this country. But the rise of the Ford family has been marred by violence and self-destruction at almost every turn. The story of the Fords is tragic — for them, for everyone who falls into their orbit, and for the people of Toronto.

Featured in this episode: Jonathan Goldsbie (Canadaland).

CORRECTION [Nov. 18, 2019]: We state in this episode that Rob Ford died in 2014. He died in March of 2016. We regret the error.

To learn more:

Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story by Robyn Doolittle

The Only Average Guy: Inside the Uncommon World of Rob Ford by John Filion

“The Rob Ford Story” by CBC’s The Fifth Estate

This show was brought to you by our patrons. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter.

This episode is sponsored by Freshbooks and Audible.

Additional music:

I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

ＭＩＬＬＥＮＮＩＡＬＳ by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.

Reverie (small theme) by _ghost (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Pitx

“Unanswered Questions” by Kevin Macleod, adapted.