Mayor Rob Ford will likely remain in rehab for another “four or five weeks” before returning to Toronto and resuming his re-election campaign, his councillor brother says.
Doug Ford made the comment to reporters at city hall on Tuesday as the mayor’s self-imposed exile to seek treatment for substance abuse issues approached the 30 day mark.
“I am confident that Rob is going to come out a new man and he is going to look at the mistakes he has made in the past and move forward in a positive fashion,” Ford said. “The race hasn’t started until he gets in.”
Mayor Ford announced that he was taking a leave of absence on April 30 as several new stories surfaced concerning instances of public drunkenness and illicit drug use.
Though little is known about Ford’s day-to-day existence in rehab, Doug Ford told reporters that his brother’s treatment involves both counselling and meetings with other patients.
The mayor is undergoing treatment at GreeneStone Clinic in Bala, the facility confirmed last Friday.
“He is getting counselling all day and he goes to meetings at night time and I think it is the best thing for Rob,” Doug Ford said. “I went to see him on Sunday and he is looking fabulous. He has lost quite a bit of weight and he says he is feeling healthier than he ever has.”
Escalade can be picked up from impound lot today
While Ford remains in rehab in cottage country, his vehicle was picked up from a nearby impound lot by an unidentified man late Tuesday afternoon.
The black Escalade was driven away from Northland Towing and Recovery in Gravenhurst at around 4:45 p.m., seven days after police impounded the vehicle after a woman was pulled over and charged with impaired driving in Bracebridge.
Lee Anne McRobb, who is believed to be a former patient at GreeneStone, was the only person in the vehicle at the time.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Doug Ford said he has no idea who McRobb is or how she ended up behind the wheel of his brother’s vehicle.
“Yeah it is odd, but you know Rob is the type of guy who gives the shirt of his back to anyone and tries to help people out, ” he said.
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