What message is Ford sending?

As the world watches and weighs in Ford’s confession and ensuing controversy, we’re looking at the reaction to this from the younger generation who may be getting a very different message from the situation.

Kate Carnegie has that side of the story.

We have heard from experts, lawyers, collegues and torontonians. But news that Toronto’s Mayor has done crack and gets to keep his job is affecting another group of people. Wednesday, we talked to teenagers and some young men who are in rehab for addictions who say the Mayor is sending a very strong message that people in power can do whatever they want.

Ford on Tuesday: “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine, but no I am not an addict? No.”

It’s the truth everyone was waiting to hear. But John Vereecke who is a recovering crack addict and now the Director of turning point rehabilitation in Hamilton, says Rob Ford is walking a fine line by staying on as Mayor: “A lot of the kids growing up in the community see that what’s the big deal. I don’t have to be accountable or be responsible or have any repercussions by how I act. It’s obviously sending the wrong message.”

So we hit the streets to see what teens think.

“It just shows that the more money and power that you have the more you can ignore the law really that’s all it really sends to me.”

“He is the Mayor of Toronto and he does have some power, so we are young kids and we have an eye on us and he has an eye on him but he has a lot more power than we do to.”

Ford used his position of power as a City Councillor in a 2005 CBC documentary to publicly oppose harm reduction programs that would be funded by taxpayers saying they would only make life easier for crack users: “We have to go after the dealers we have to go after the importers, and I mean tough, no nonsense”

Fast forward eight years: “Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stoopers.”

These two men are in an addiction recovery program, and don’t feel comfortable being identified, but say they felt compelled to speak up about Ford’s admission to using crack.

“It seems like it’s ok in his eyes that he can just going on with his life and that drugs and alcohol are something you can get by with no matter what your doing or career you choose in your life.”

“A lot of addicts have a sense of arrogance that I have been able to continue doing and behaving the way I have and preserver and pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.”

John Vereecke, the addictions counsellor in the story says he can’t comment on how low the Mayor should be in rehab but says inpatient programs can range from 21 days to 3 to 6 months depending on the severity of the addiction. He says in his experience the longer the stay the longer the person has to deal with the underlying issues and develop the coping tools to deal with day to day life.