Ford favours 2 hospitals, no new Bala Falls hydro

MUSKOKA — Doug Ford, who is drawing some big crowds down south on his PC leadership campaign, made three stops in Muskoka Tuesday.

He started in Bala at the Lakeland Restaurant in the morning, not far from where his later brother Rob was at a local rehab resort while mayor of Toronto.

He was greeted by crowd of about 3-40 placard-waving residents as he stood at the site of the Swift River hydro project site in the background.

They cheered when he said he would scrap the project if he heads the PCs and becomes premier.

Later in the morning, he was at the in Bracebridge at the Quality Inn, where Mayor Graydon Smith was impressed enough with him to tweet about the visit later Tuesday.

Ten to 20 people heard him speak

Smith tweeted: “Thx to @fordnation for stopping in #Bracebridge as part of his leadership campaign. FYI, he’s the only PC candidate to contact me directly and lend his support for mainatining 2 hospitals in #Muskoka.

Ford finished up his norther trip with a lunchtime meeting at the Boston Pizza in Huntsville, where he re-iterated his message about opposing the one hospital in Muskoka.

Another couple dozen people greeted him.

The Ford family have a cottage in the Port Sydney area, where the one hospital has openly been talked about.

He skipped Gravenhurst, before heading to Sudbury and then Ottawa.

Doug Ford, left, talks to a man at the Quality Inn in Bracebridge Tuesday morning.