Etobicoke’s Centennial Stadium will be named in honour of late former mayor Rob Ford just in time for his 55th birthday.
In a post on X, Ontario Premier and his brother Doug Ford said there will be a ceremony to celebrate the unveiling at 6 p.m today.
“My family and I are deeply moved by Toronto City Council’s decision to honour Rob’s service to his community by renaming Centennial Stadium after him,” he wrote on Monday.
In a separate tweet, Ford says today would have been his brother’s 55th birthday.
“He always fought for the people and stood up for the little guy, and we miss him every day,” he said.
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Rob Ford is known to have coached the Don Bosco Eagles at the stadium before and during his time at City Hall. Ford served in city council for over 14 years and was the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014.
Back in Dec. 2023, city council voted 17-6 to approve the decision to rename Centennial Park stadium as the “Rob Ford Stadium.”
In response to today’s naming ceremony, some Torontonians do not believe the former mayor deserves the honour.
“Naming a stadium after a crack smoking, alcoholic, racist, misogynist that on top of all of that was a god awful mayor sure is a very Toronto move,” one X user said.
“This is a travesty. there are plenty of more worthy people to name a stadium after,” another user said.
“So they’ll rename Yonge-Dundas Square to something with no connection to the city and yet a stadium gets named after someone whose legacy was to taint the city for years to come. Make it make sense!” another comment read.
Meanwhile, others applaud the move.
“A true Toronto hero,” one X user said.
“Well deserved,” another user said.
The ceremony will be from 6-8 p.m. at 256 Centennial Park Rd.
