Mayor dodges questions on crack cocaine allegations
TORONTO’S mayor Rob Ford continued to avoid questions about a video purportedly showing him smoking crack cocaine, despite calls by both allies and rivals for f ur t her comment.
Reports on website Gawker and in the Toronto Star claimed it was taken by men who said they had sold the drug to Mr Ford.
The video has not been released publicly and there is no way to verify whether it is authentic.
Mr Ford has refused to take questions and called it “ridiculous” and “another story with respect to the Toronto Star going after me. And that’s all I’ve got to say for now”.
He avoided reporters on Tuesday, in his first public appearances following a holiday weekend.
The Star reported that two journalists watched a video appearing to show Mr Ford inhaling from a glass crack pipe. It said it did not obtain the video or pay to watch it.
Mr Gawker and the Star said the video was shown to them by a drug dealer who had been trying to sell it.
There were also reports Mr Ford allegedly made an anti-gay slur against the leader of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau.
Mr Trudeau decried Mr Ford’s alleged use of the slur, calling it “reprehensible and unacceptable”.
Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne said the “issues need to be dealt with as quickly as possible so the council and the leadership of the council can get on with dealing with the business of governing the city”.