Ford admits: ‘yes I did’ buy illegal drugs

Tensions are rising at Toronto city council with accusations of threatening behaviour by the mayor, even before debate begins on a motion asking him to take a leave of absence.

Council met for the first time today since mayor Rob Ford admitted to smoking crack last week. A non-binding motion was be tabled asking the mayor to step aside to deal with his personal issues. It was adopted 41 to 2, with Rob Ford’s brother Doug voting in favour of the petition.

Councilor Jaye Robinson presented the letter that said “Today we stand together to ask that you step aside and take a leave of absence to address your challenges privately, outside of the public eye. We believe that the majority of Torontonians share our view, and that City Council will excuse any absences you require to address the situation with finality.”

The meeting also got heated, following an confrontation between Ford and councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, with the councillor saying the mayor threatened him. The tension escalated when Wong asked Ford: “Mr. Mayor, have you purchased illegal drugs in the last 2 years?

After a pause, Ford replied: “Yes I have”.

When councillor Giorgio Mamolitti asked Ford if he thought he had an addiction problem with alcohol, he said “absolutely not.” He gave the same answer when he was then asked if he had a problem with substance abuse with illegal drugs.

“Mr mayor, you recognize that some of your behaviour points to that?”

“It depends on how you interpret my behaviour, a couple, a few isolated incidents…”

Mamolitti then addressed the council. “This is not funny folks, it is not a funny issue.”

Ford went on to say that he can understand how people perceive his behaviour. “I put myself in the shoes of the taxpayers, and if they were to look at the few incidents that we’ve had, I could understand they would say ‘he may have a problem.'”

In another development on the Ford watch, a judge has ordered the release of previously censored information from documents connected to Rob Ford’s friend and occasional driver, Alessandro Lisi.

It isn’t yet clear when this information will be released to the media, but it could be as early as this afternoon.