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I was suprised to be contacted by Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As many of you will remember, I was an old drinking buddy of his brother Rob, who was mayor of Toronto for a controversial stretch of time back a few years ago. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Rob and I attended Carleton University in Ottawa at the same time in the 80’s and it was there that we became drinking buddies at Rooster’s, the campus pub. We were never best friends or anything, but much later, when I moved to Toronto and we re-connected on Facebook, Rob would habitually open chats with me when he was drinking and looking to revive the \u201cgood, old days.\u201d According to his brother, Rob truly valued what I had to say and as Doug put it, \u201cIf you were good enough for Robbie, you’re damn sure good enough for me!\u201d and with that he offered me a job as a staff writer at his office. My first job has been to write some follow-up ads promoting that fact that Doug’s new government made good on their promise to make it legal for beer companies to lower the price of a beer\u2014if they want to\u2014from $1.25 to $1.00.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n This is the script for my first ad:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ( Doug Ford speaking to camera from his basement den ) <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c I haven’t had a drink in over 25 years– not because I have any sort of problem. I don’t and I never did, and I will sue the bejesus out of anybody who says different. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Just try me. ( Two second pause) <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n No, I stopped because I’m disciplined. Good governance and fiscal restraint require discipline, a quality I learned as a shotputter and as the no-nonsense businessman who steered Deco Labels and Tags to be voted– by the readers of Etobicoke Style magazine– as one of the top three Label and Tag operations in all of the region. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n