Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong says he has spoken to Mayor Rob Ford on the phone and has wished him well in his efforts to get help for the substance abuse issues that have plagued his mayoral tenure.
Minnan-Wong made the comment to reporters at city hall Tuesday afternoon as speculation built over the mayor’s whereabouts following news that he voluntarily withdrew his request to enter the U.S. after flying to Chicago last week.
“It was a friendly conversation. You know, I asked him how he was and said that a lot of people are hoping he gets better and he asked what was going on at council and I said that some councillors were trying to undermine our contracting out initiatives and I think he wanted to come back to defend that decision,” Minnan-Wong said. “I do think Rob misses council and what’s going on here. I just wanted to wish him well and say hi.”
Minann-Wong said Ford was in “good spirits” during their brief conversation and did tell him that he was in a rehabilitation facility.
The Ward 34 Don Valley East councillor, however, refused to reveal exactly where Ford is getting help.
“I believe the mayor is entitled to his privacy and I don’t think I have the authority to reveal where he is,” he said. “If the family or Rob wants that to be known it will be free for them to disclose it; it is not my place.”
Ford turned back after landing in Chicago
Ford initially flew to Chicago after announcing that he would take a leave of absence to seek help, but on Tuesday Canada’s consul general in Chicago confirmed that Ford returned to Canada after withdrawing his request to enter the U.S. at the border.
Roy Norton told CTV News reporter Katie Simpson that his office became involved after the fact when it contacted border officials to find out what information they could provide about the matter.
It is not known why Ford withdrew the request after flying in from Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport and it is not known where he travelled to after the private jet arrived in Chicago. The Ford family business, Deco Labels and Tags, has a manufacturing facility in a Chicago suburb.
After departing Chicago, the plane did not return to Buttonville airport, a source told Simpson.
CBP spokesman Kris Grogan said privacy laws prevent the agency from sharing information about individual travellers.
He said CBP officers, who are tasked with determining the admissibility of people at ports of entry, can deny entry to travellers based on things such as health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labour certification, illegal entry or immigration violations, and documentation requirements.
Ford is in rehab: brother, lawyer
In response to questions about the situation in Chicago, Ford's brother, Coun. Doug Ford, and lawyer, Dennis Morris, both said the mayor is currently in rehab.
Neither would disclose the location or identity of the facility, nor would they discuss why the mayor withdrew his request to enter the U.S.
“Due to confidentiality to not only the mayor but the people in the rehab program, I’m not at liberty to say (where he is)," Doug Ford told reporters at city hall. “He’s in a rehab facility, 100 per cent, and he’s getting the support that he needs.”
Doug Ford said he has talked to his brother since he entered rehab.
“He’s feeling great, actually. He’s feeling good. He’s bought into the program and he’s getting the support that he needs," Doug Ford said.
Morris said he can't comment on what happened when the aircraft landed in Chicago because he was not on the plane.
Morris called it "amazing" that Ford is in rehab and said it is unfair that the media continues to ask where the mayor is. He asked journalists to allow Ford to get help in private.
Ford announced last week he was taking a leave of absence to seek professional help.
"I have a problem with alcohol, and the choices I have made while under the influence. I have struggled with this for some time," Ford said in a written statement.
Ford told Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington he would be away for at least 30 days and he would stay on as mayor and seek re-election in October. A leave of absence notice filed with the city clerk did not include a return date.
Ford in new video: report
Ford's announcement followed damaging reports by three Toronto newspapers. The reports contained new allegations about drug and alcohol use and inappropriate comments.
The Globe and Mail says two of its reporters have watched a new video showing Ford smoking a substance from a pipe. In an interview with the newspaper, a self-professed drug dealer, who is trying to sell the video, claims the substance was crack cocaine.
The video was secretly filmed in Ford's sister’s basement early April 26, according to the Globe, which paid $10,000 for a series of still images that show the mayor holding a pipe.
Toronto police are trying to view the video, as part of the ongoing Project Brazen 2 investigation into Ford and his friend, Alexander Lisi, who has been charged with drug offences and extortion. Last fall, police announced they had recovered a separate video that shows the mayor smoking from a glass pipe.
Neither video has been seen by the public. Ford has not been charged with a crime.
Mayor entered U.S. in March
Ford has entered the U.S. at least once since he admitted last November to smoking crack cocaine in a "drunken stupor." No issues were reported at border control when the mayor travelled to Los Angeles in early March to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Earlier this year, British celebrity cook and reality TV star Nigella Lawson encountered problems at an airport weeks after she admitted to drug use.
Lawson was denied permission to board a flight to the U.S. in late March, even though she has not been charged with a crime.
The U.S. Embassy in London did not disclose the reason for refusing Lawson, who admitted during a recent court case that she had occasionally used cocaine, The Associated Press reported.
U.S. authorities may refuse passengers admission for various reasons, including drug use.
The decision to prevent Lawson from boarding the flight led to criticism from fellow celebrity chef, reality TV host and friend Anthony Bourdain, who compared her situation to Ford's.
Bourdain tweeted: “Toronto mayor, Rob Ford? Welcome to the USA. Nigella Lawson? No. REALLY? Absolutely appalling misuse of our system. And by whom? How?”
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