The latest on the mayor and that video tape
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford leaves his lawyers office in Toronto on Friday, January 25, 2013, after learning that he has successfully appealed a decision to remove him from office following a conflict of interest hearing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
UPDATE: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrived in council chambers at Toronto City Hall Tuesday morning. The Canadian Press reports that he ignored reporters and their questions as he left his office for a special meeting about a proposed downtown Toronto casino.
Here is a picture of Rob Ford, stone-faced in the elevator, as his staff tried to shut the doors on reporters twitter.com/BenSpurr/statu…
— Ben Spurr (@BenSpurr) May 21, 2013
Earlier reports that Ford was going to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. were not true, said the mayor’s press secretary.
Ford did stand in council to speak against a proposed downtown casino, but he did not address the allegations against him.
Here’s what else we know right now:
1. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford cancelled his regularly scheduled radio program on Sunday afternoon.
2. The mayor’s brother, Doug Ford, talked to Mike Bendixen of CFRB about the drug allegations:
Spoke with Doug Ford, he tells me “I have never seen my brother involved with anything like coke.”#topoli
— Mike Bendixen (@mikebendixen) May 18, 2013
3. While the mayor kept a low profile during the weekend, he appeared to remain active on his Twitter account:
The long weekend is here! Catch a ferry to Toronto Island Park for a scenic picnic. Details here: toronto.ca/parks/island/f… #LongWknd #Topoli
— Mayor Rob Ford (@TOMayorFord) May 17, 2013
Happy Victoria Day #Toronto. Check out@torontoarchives they are now on twitter: ow.ly/l9b8qow.ly/i/28Qja
— Mayor Rob Ford (@TOMayorFord) May 20, 2013
4. Gawker editor John Cook also noted Ford’s presence on Twitter:
— John Cook (@johnjcook) May 20, 2013
5. Speaking of Gawker, as of Sunday, it had raised $80,000 in a crowd-sourced campaign to raise money to purchase a video alleged to show Ford using crack cocaine.
6. A teen art collective in Toronto has released an enactment of the Ford video. Before playing the tape, the teens urge the mayor to seek treatment should he be suffering from addiction.
7. As the National Post notes, Toronto’s city councillors are calling on Ford to address allegations. Councillor Josh Matlow said the sooner the mayor does so, the sooner Toronto can move forward. “What would be very helpful, as a start, would be if the mayor would be more open about his take on the story and offer his perspective,” he told the Globe and Mail. “That hasn’t happened yet.”
8. In an open letter to Rob Ford, Toronto Star editor Michael Cooke poses a number of questions:
9. Meanwhile, in case you have been at the cottage, the rest of world has discovered Ford.
10. CKNW, a radio station in Vancouver, has reported that Doug Ford is planning to respond to the allegations on Tuesday.