TORONTO – Mayor Rob Ford confirms he was drinking Monday evening and that it is indeed him in a video showing him rambling profanely in Jamaican patois.
For months, Ford said he swore off booze after admitting to’ve smoked crack cocaine “in a drunken stupor” and after video surfaced of him in an apparent – in his words “intoxicated” – rage.
It’s hard to make out what he is saying in this latest video, shot at a Rexdale restaurant. But he can be heard referring to Police Chief Bill Blair and five months of surveillance – “do you know how much money that cost?” – as well as his own visits to “Jane and Finch” and “Jamestown” and Malvern.
At one point, a person in a white jacket can be heard comparing the mayor to Stephen Harper, to which the mayor replies, “No, no, but I’m a straight up guy, you know?”
The camera pans off of him at some points but his voice can still be heard. He’s wearing a black suit, with a white shirt, red tie and pin. The outfit is consistent with what he was wearing Monday at city hall.
Councillor Doug Ford earlier confirmed it was “obviously” his brother but said it couldn’t have been filmed on Monday. He told reporters he spoke to the mayor at 10:30 that night and the mayor is thinner than he appears in the video.
“It wouldn’t have been him yesterday, I guarantee it. I’m sure it’s him but it wasn’t yesterday,” Councillor Ford said. “He’s given up drinking, 100 per cent.”
