Reporting tonight Rob Ford is taking 30 days off from his reflection campaign to enter rehab after not one but two videos have surfaced showing him doing drugs.
Some drug dealers says he has three videos up for sale.
If that wasn't enough, there is an audio recording of the mayor, apparently drunk making comments about one of his fellow mayoral candidates of a sexual nature (ew) as well as being bigoted and homophobic. I haven't heard them as the news says they are too awful to play on TV.
Rob Ford to enter rehab.
Update three. In case you didn't know, there are four major daily papers in Toronto. Three of them are working on separate stories.
The Globe and Mail has seen a video which shows him smoking something in a copper pipe and then his right arm convulses.
The Toronto Sun has the audio tape of his drunken rave on the weekend.
The Toronto Star is going to release a story soon about Justin Bieber and Ford meeting up and The Beebs asked him if he had some crack cocaine. From what I can gather the mayor was not pleased. The news reader did say he hadn't heard of this story when he was talking to the editor of the star.
No word on what The National Post might contribute.
Update. I have the local 24 hr news on. The editor of the Toronto Star said Ford had some kind of weird encounter with Justin Bieber and talking about drugs. It's weird.
Doug Ford, the mayor's staunchest defender, city councillor and allegedly a former drug dealer thirty odd years ago has not been heard from since Ford launched his re-election campaign a couple of weeks ago. Until they hear from him, no one is quite sure what to read in that. Doug had decided not to run for re-election.
Update 2: one of Ford's defences was that the people of Toronto hadn't hired him to be perfect but to watch after their money. He claimed that his supporters didn't care what he did in his spare time.
Reporters have been looking at the claim Ford has famously made that he saved the city $1 Billion. Here's the Globe & Mail.
Here is the story The Toronto Sun is carrying. They have an audio tape.
Toronto Sun
The audio recording, covertly taped by a patron of Sullie Gorman’s Monday night, captures the mayor being unruly as he’s ordering booze at the Royal York Rd. bar, complaining about his wife Renata and making lewd comments about mayoral contender Karen Stintz.
“I’d like to f-----g jam her (Stintz), but she doesn’t want ... I can’t talk like this...I’m so sorry,” Ford is heard saying on the recording. “I forgot there’s a woman in the house. "
...
The mayor said he didn’t recall saying any of the things on the recording, but confirmed he was at Sullie Gorman’s that night.
“I wouldn’t say that — I wouldn’t say the word, ‘jam,’ — that’s not my terminology,” he said in a phone interview with Warmington Wednesday afternoon. “I am appalled (at what I said). I’d like to verify this (audio) first. Of course, I’m just joking around. Clearly, that’s what I mean.”
Also on the recording, Ford was heard ranting about being pressed to keep the gay pride rainbow flag raised at City Hall.
“They put this f-----g flag up ahead of our Canadian flag, I said, ‘No, I’m sorry. Bulls---,” he said."
Ford issued a statement on Wednesday night.
Tonight, I want to take some time to speak from my heart to the people of Toronto. It’s not easy to be vulnerable, and this is one of the most difficult times in my life.
I have a problem with alcohol and the choices I have made while under the influence. I have struggled with this for some time.
Today, after taking some time to think about my own well-being, how to best serve the people of Toronto and what is in the best interests of my family, I have decided to take a leave from campaigning and from my duties as mayor to seek immediate help.
I have tried to deal with these issues by myself over the past year. I know that I need professional help, and I am now 100 per cent committed to getting myself right.
I love the people of Toronto, I love being your mayor and I hope you will continue to stand by me.
With the support of my family, friends, professionals and the people of Toronto, I will conquer this. Please keep me and my family in your prayers during these difficult days ahead.
I just want to say to the people of Toronto that I thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement. I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate it.
Mayor Rob Ford
Local pundits who also admit to being recovering addicts say they doubt thirty days will be enough for him to deal with this.
Here is The Star's story of Ford's "latest spiral".
Mayor Rob Ford’s latest spiral into substance abuse began on St. Patrick’s Day weekend just over a month ago, with a party at an exclusive Toronto club that helped provide booze to the past two Ford Fests.
On March 15, the Saturday just before St. Patrick’s Day, the mayor took four men he had met outside city hall back to his house, ordered a party bus, took them down to Muzik nightclub and proceeded to drink to excess, according to eyewitnesses to the evening.
Ford disappeared into the washroom at one point, and emerged close to an hour later appearing heavily impaired, babbling that his wife and children do not like him and “I am in over my head.”
It should be noted that I haven't seen reports that he has actually entered a rehab centre.