Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he's quit drinking after 'come-to-Jesus' moment
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he has stopped drinking after having a "come-to-Jesus" moment and does not do drugs.
Ford made the comments in an interview broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation hours after the Toronto city council voted to slash Ford's office budget by 60 percent and allow mayoral staff to join the city's deputy mayor, Norm Kelly. Ford retains his official title and can represent the city at formal events, but he has no legislative power and no longer chairs the council's executive committee.
Ford managed to put the spotlight on himself again during the meeting by pacing around the council chamber and trading barbs with members of the public. The speaker asked security to clear the chamber and a recess was called, as members of the public chanted “Shame! Shame!” at the mayor.
Ford himself charged at the gallery at one point and knocked over Councilor Pam McConnell before picking her back up.
Another councilor asked Ford to apologize. Ford said he was rushing to the defense of his brother, city councilor Doug Ford.
"I picked her up," Rob Ford said. "I ran around because I thought my brother was getting into an altercation."
Visibly shaken after Ford ran her over, McConnell, a petite woman in her 60s, said she never expected the chaos that broke out.
"This is the seat of democracy, it is not a football field. I just wasn't ready. Fortunately, the mayor's staff was in front — they stopped me from hitting my head against the wall. I just need to sit down," McConnell said.
On Friday, the council voted 39-3 to to suspend Ford's authority to appoint and dismiss the deputy mayor and the executive committee. The council also voted to give the deputy mayor authority to handle any civic emergency.
Ford told CBC's chief news correspondent Peter Mansbridge that he had used crack cocaine "about a year ago," but hasn't used the drug since. The mayor also said he had not consumed alcohol in three weeks and had no plans to do so ever again.
"There's a lot of people who have done what I've done," Ford told Mansbridge. "I’m a human being, Peter."
Ford also claimed that the council's vote will force him to reduce his staff from 19 people to eight.
"I return thousands of calls," Ford said. "I can't function as mayor of Toronto with eight people in my office. They stripped me of everything I had, all because of personal problems."
Monday's vote was the latest chapter in a melodrama that has gripped Canada's largest city since May, when the Toronto Starnewspaper and the website Gawker reported that their staffers had viewed a video showing Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Recently released court documents show the mayor became the subject of a police investigation after those reports surfaced. Ford, who denied there was any incriminating video, now acknowledges the reports were accurate.
In interviews with police, former Ford staffers have made further accusations, saying the mayor drank heavily, sometimes drove while intoxicated and pressured a female staffer to engage in oral sex.
On Thursday, Ford spouted an obscenity on live television while denying the sex allegation, saying he was "happily married" and using crude language to assert that he enjoys enough oral sex at home.
Last week, after admitting to excessive drinking and buying illegal drugs, Ford disclosed that he is seeking medical help. But he and his family insist he is not an addict and does not need rehab.
The mayor addressed some of those issues in an interview with Fox News over the weekend.
"I've admitted to drinking too much. Okay. So I'm dealing with it, I'm training every day, I'm in the gym two hours every day," Ford said. "I'm seeking professional help, I'm not an alcoholic, I'm not a drug addict. Have I had my outbursts in the past? Absolutely. But you know what, I'm only human. I've made mistakes. I've apologized."
He also added: "Yes, one day I do want to run for prime minister."
Coincidentally, Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- a Conservative, like Ford -- was due in Toronto on Monday to meet with area Parliament members from his party. Harper has been a guest at an annual summer barbecue hosted by Ford and his family, but has had little to say in public about the mayor's ongoing troubles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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