Torontonians are set to get their first glimpse of a post-rehab Rob Ford, as the city’s embattled mayor prepares to return to his seat city hall and his re-election campaign after a two-month absence.
Ford is scheduled to deliver a televised address Monday afternoon in his first official act as mayor since he checked out of a rehab facility in Muskoka.
Last month, the mayor told the Toronto Sun that people “will see a different Rob Ford” when he returns four months before voters head to the polls to elect a new city council.
Once the televised address is out of the way, it appears Ford’s second order of business will be attending Canada Day events on Tuesday.
Ford entered rehab after he faced fresh allegations of drug and alcohol use while in office.
He announced April 30 he was taking an immediate leave of absence and he mostly faded from the public eye, although he was spotted several times in the community while he attended the GreeneStone residential addiction treatment facility.
On Saturday, Ford was photographed at a Moore’s clothing store in Barrie, where he was being fitted for a new suit.
Ford’s stay in rehab didn’t come without controversy. He was dogged by doubts or questions about his location or commitment to rehab, and his Cadillac Escalade was impounded after a woman he met in rehab was pulled over by police in Bracebridge and charged with impaired driving.
Last week, Democracy Watch, a government watchdog, filed a complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner, claiming the mayor and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, violated the city’s code of conduct by lobbying city bureaucrats on behalf of two companies with ties to their family’s business.
Rob Ford took a leave of absence after it emerged that two Globe and Mail reporters had viewed a new video that allegedly shows him smoking from a pipe in his sister’s basement.
The newspaper paid $10,000 for a series of screenshots that show Ford holding a pipe. A self-professed drug dealer, who is trying to sell the video, told the Globe the mayor was smoking crack cocaine. The video has not been seen by the public.
At the same time, Ford faced questions from the Sun about an audio tape where he was heard making inappropriate comments about colleagues, including mayoral challenger Coun. Karen Stintz, at an Etobicoke bar.
A separate video shows Ford smoking from a glass pipe and allegedly making homophobic and racist remarks. That video has not been seen by the public but it has been seized by police, who continue to investigate the mayor and some of his friends or associates.
Last year, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine, purchasing drugs and driving while impaired. He has also come under fire for associating with alleged gang members or drug dealers, and for appearing at public events while intoxicated.
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