Renata Ford
Born
Renata Brejniak

1971 (1971)
Died (aged 55)
Political party
People's Party of Canada
Spouse(s)
Artur Kisiki
​
​
(m. 1993; div. 1996)​

Rob Ford
​
​
(m. 2000; died 2016)​
Children 2
Family Ford family
Website Candidate website (2019 archive)

Renata Ford (née Brejniak; 1971 – July 2026) was the wife of Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. During the 2019 Canadian federal election, she stood unsuccessfully for the People's Party of Canada in the riding of Etobicoke North.

Renata Ford was noted for her low public profile during the mayoralty of Rob Ford.

Early life and family

Renata was born as Renata Brejniak[1] to Polish-born[2] parents Tadeusz and Henryka Brejniak.[3] She attended All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Etobicoke, Toronto,[1] where she first met Rob Ford.[4]

Renata married her first husband, Artur Kisiki, in 1993.[5] They divorced in February 1996.[6][2] In 2000, she married Rob Ford and the couple had two children,[1] Stephanie and Douglas.[7][3] During Rob Ford's mayoral term, Renata was noted for her lack of public appearances. In 2013, CBC News reported that details on her career and age were "among the most closely guarded secrets in Toronto."[8] In 2014, she was 43.[2]

In 2008, Rob Ford was charged with threatening to kill Renata. The charges were withdrawn after the Crown attorney found inconsistencies in Renata's testimony.[9] In 2013, police attended a domestic violence call at the couple's home.[10]

Renata Ford was the aunt of former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister Michael Ford[11] and Krista Haynes.[12]

In 2017, Renata Ford was sentenced to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,100 fine after being found guilty of impaired driving the year prior.[13][11] In public statements, Renata spoke of her addiction issues and sobriety since her conviction.[14]

In 2018, Renata started litigation proceedings at Ontario's Superior Court of Justice in a $16.5 million lawsuit against her two brothers-in-law Doug Ford and Randy Ford alleging that they deprived her of income while dealing with the estate of Rob Ford.[13][15][16] The dispute included reference to Doug Ford's decision to sell Canadian adhesive label company Deco Labels.[17][18] In 2018, Renata Ford was ordered to pay $300,000 in overdue legal fees to her lawyer.[19]

Political career

In 2019, Renata Ford ran for political office representing the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North as a candidate for the People's Party of Canada in the federal election.[11] During her campaign, Renata broke with the People's Party stance against immigration.[20]

She came in fourth, with 2.8% of the vote, losing to Kirsty Duncan.[21][19]

  • v
  • t
  • e
2019 Canadian federal election: Etobicoke North
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Kirsty Duncan 26,388 61.4 -1.01 $67,270.39
Conservative Sarabjit Kaur 9,524 22.2 -0.80 none listed
New Democratic Naiima Farah 4,654 10.8 -1.61 none listed
People's Renata Ford 1,196 2.8 - none listed
Green Nancy Ghuman 1,080 2.5 +1.25 none listed
Canada's Fourth Front Sudhir Mehta 104 0.2 - $0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 42,946 100.0
Total rejected ballots 565
Turnout 43,511 58.8
Eligible voters 73,970
Liberal hold Swing -0.11
Source: Elections Canada[22][23]

Personal life and death

Renata Ford lived in Etobicoke with Rob (until he died in 2016) and her two children, Stephanie and Doug. Stephanie would be elected to the executive committee of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 2026.[24]

The brother of Rob Ford, Ontario premier Doug Ford, confirmed her death in a statement to reporters on July 6. She was 55.[25]

See also

  • Ford family

References

  1. ^ a b c "Renata Ford's life is totally different now: the Mayor of Mayhem's wife today". Cosmopolitan. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  2. ^ a b c Kupferman, Steve (2014-06-17). "The Rob Ford family tree". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  3. ^ a b Wong, Jan (2011-02-03). "The woman behind the mayor: who is Renata Ford?". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  4. ^ Hopper, Tristin (14 November 2013). "Rob Ford's wife Renata makes rare public appearance amid scandal". National Post.
  5. ^ "'I Can't Even Imagine The Pain She's Going Through'". HuffPost. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  6. ^ Doolittle, Robyn. Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-06811-1.
  7. ^ Cain, Patrick (22 March 2016). "Rob Ford's cutting-edge cancer treatment aimed to take the guesswork out of chemo - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  8. ^ Mayer, Andre (4 June 2013). "The agony of Rob Ford". CBC News.
  9. ^ Donovan, Kevin; Wallace, Kenyon (2013-11-22). "Rob Ford police investigation: 'Domestic assault' call at Ford home sidetracked police sting". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  10. ^ Giese, Rachel (2018-06-06). "Renata Ford Has Finally Stepped Out Of The Shadows, And Her Lawsuit Isn't Just A Blow To Doug". Chatelaine. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  11. ^ a b c Pelley, Lauren (21 June 2019). "Renata Ford will be a candidate for Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  12. ^ Pullen, Kelly (2014-01-30). "A Tour of Ford Country: the 13 notable places that gave rise to our divisive, duplicitous mayor". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  13. ^ a b "Renata Ford, Rob Ford's widow, gets 3 years probation in impaired driving case". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 June 2018.
  14. ^ Mahoney, Jim (2019-09-26). "In her pitch to voters, Renata Ford puts her family's legacy first, the People's Party banner in the background". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  15. ^ Donovan, Kevin Chief (2018-06-04). "Rob Ford's widow sues Doug Ford, alleging he has deprived her and her children of millions". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  16. ^ MacDougall, Andrew (2018-06-05). "Renata Ford's June surprise isn't likely to hurt Doug Ford". Macleans.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  17. ^ Blatchford, Christie (6 June 2018). "Christie Blatchford: Ford family 'House for sale' indicates signs of chaos". National Post.
  18. ^ Walsh, Marieke (2018-06-05). "Ford's public financial disclosure shows he is sole owner of family business". iPolitics. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  19. ^ a b Dawson, Tyler (22 April 2021). "Renata Ford ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in legal fees for work on Rob Ford estate". National Post.
  20. ^ Tubb, Ed (2019-10-07). "How Renata Ford's 'legitimate chance' at a seat in Etobicoke North helped land Maxime Bernier a place at the leaders' debate". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  21. ^ "Federal election 2019 live results". CBC News. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  22. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  24. ^ "Late mayor Rob Ford's daughter enters provincial politics". Torontosun.com. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  25. ^ "Renata Ford, widow of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford, dies at 55". The Toronto Sun. July 6, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.