Rob Ford defends his robocalls about Scarborough councillor

Mayor Rob Ford says he ordered robocalls to east-end Toronto residents in order to make sure they knew their city councillor voted against the subway expansion.

The calls to Scarborough residents criticized Coun. Paul Ainslie for his position on public transit.

Ford, speaking on his Sunday radio show, said he didnt do anything wrong because he maintains it is his responsibility to the taxpayers to make sure they know how their councillors vote.

'I was really offended and shocked by the message.- Scarborough resident DonnaKavanaugh

The calls, however, made to Ainslies constituency Friday night unleashed a slew of responses from other city councillors on social media.

Ainslie says members of his constituency were called Friday night with a minute-long recorded message from the mayor, only hours after he had quit the mayorscabinet-style committee.

"It was extremely, extremely unfortunate that your councillor, Paul Ainslie, was the only Scarborough councillor who did not listen to his constituents and voted against the Scarborough subway," Ford said in the call.

Ford pointed out that nine of 10 Scarborough councillors supported the motion.

• Ford robocalls spark anger among city councillors

Ainslie had once supported the subway extension but recently he changedhis mind in favour of a cheaper light rail line.

Ford questioned the nature of the sudden change, but Ainslie said that he resigned from the committee because he didn'twant to be "bullied" by the mayor and told how to vote.

Scarborough resident Donna Kavanaugh said she was shocked by the message, despite her generally positive feelings towards Ford.

I like [Ford]. I don't love him, I do like him. But at the end of the message he was putting down my councillor, Paul Ainslie, who I really do like. So I was really offended and shocked by the message, Kavanaugh told CBC News.

Reaction among other residents was mixed, some brushing it off as politics as usual while others accused the mayor of trying to bully Coun. Ainslie.

Neither Fords office nor Ainslies responded to calls for comment.

Other city councillors expressed their disapproval, however.

'Is he doing calls in my ward now?'

Sarah Doucette, who represents Ward 13 in the west end, said the calls were appalling.

I do not feel the Mayor should be doing a robocall on a councillor because he voted the way his constituents asked him to vote, Doucette told CBC News. Is he doing robocalls on my ward now, because I voted for the LRT?

On Twitter, Coun. Jaye Robinson called the tactic harassment and questioned how Ford paid for the calls.

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said the matter should be brought to the attention of the provinces integrity commissioner.

Ainslie says he will be making a complaint to the city's Integrity Commissioner and the CRTC over the robocalls.

But Ford seemed confused by Ainslies threat to make complaints.

"What is he going to say to the Integrity Commissioner? Rob Fordtold my constituents how I voted? What is wrong with that," he saidafter earlier reading a list of councillors' names and how theyvoted," said Ford on his weekly radio show.

"It cost a few hundred dollars to do this. I'm paying for this,folks, personally... out of my own pocket so it's not costingtaxpayers a dime."