Article content continued

The men meet to talk about transit in Toronto, and let’s just say that the sight of Doug Ford riding a bike around town — first time in 35 years, he says — is worth the price of admission.

Singh is a fan of surface transit (LRT and streetcars) and wants to live in a place where bicycles are welcome.

Ford, like his late brother, former mayor Rob Ford, is all about subways.

The two men are suspicious of one another before meeting. Singh has been told it’s a mistake to even be seen with Ford, while Ford says he fears Singh has a sense of entitlement.

It’s frankly heartening, as the show progresses, to see these guys find common ground; both men, for example, have an important bond with a younger brother, and that gets the ball rolling.

First, they do a driving tour of what Ford called the “St. Clair disaster,” so that Ford can show Singh how the dedicated streetcar track altered that neighbourhood, and not for the better. Singh has his eyes opened for sure, but not about the TTC — he’s amazed to see the outpouring of affection for Ford when they leave the car and go for a walk along St. Clair Ave.

Men and women of every race and age embrace Ford and take selfies.

Later, when Singh takes him biking through the city, Ford is likewise surprised to discover that riding a bike can be fun — a great way to see the city and good exercise, too. He enjoyed it, says Ford.

“But my ass is sore. Some entrepreneur needs to make a better bike seat.”

Later, in a phone interview, Ford was asked if anything surprised him.

“Well, this isn’t a shot at Jagmeet, because I think the world of him and I really listened to the story of his family coming to Canada … But if we’re just talking bike lanes, it was kind of funny. We went to Queen’s Park, we got suited up, we went on a bike ride, and then we came back. And then Jagmeet hopped into his BMW and drove up to Brampton. [Laughs] I thought that was hilarious! It’s not a shot. I understand you can’t drive your bike up to Brampton.”

Political Blind Date airs on TVO Tuesday, November 14 at 9 p.m. and on tvo.org.

lbraun@postmedia.com