Rob Ford's CBC interview: 5 things we learned
Ford expands on crack use, addiction and lending out his vehicle
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford sat down with CBC Toronto host Dwight Drummond for a one-on-one interview on Wednesday, and revealed a few never-before-heard details of his past.
Here are five things Ford said during the 10-minute interview:
1. That was Rob Ford holding a crack pipe.
Dwight Drummond held up a photo of the mayor holding what appears to be a crack pipe, and for the first time Ford confirmed it was in fact him and it was crack. "It is what it looks like," said Ford. "That's why I went to rehab. My life was in jeopardy."
Ford had previously admitted to crack usage, but the photo of him that emerged after his "come to Jesus" moment of sobriety when he promised to go sober.
2. Rob Ford has consumed the 'gamut' of drugs.
Asked about which drugs he consumed, Ford seemed to admit to using heroin. "You name it, I pretty well covered it" said the mayor.
In other interviews on Wednesday, Ford explicitly denied ever using heroin.
3. Rob Ford has been drunk at city hall, but denies using drugs there.
Ford said he consumed drugs on "personal time," not when he was on the job. However, he said he was drinking at city hall.
He denied using drugs at work. But in police interviews released last fall, Ford's former executive assistant Kia Nejatian said he found a marijuana joint in Ford’s desk drawer at city hall.
4. Rob Ford has been addicted for almost 15 years.
"I've had this disease before I entered office," said Ford. The mayor entered office in November 2000, which means he has struggled with addiction the entire time he served as an Etobicoke councillor and as mayor.
While Ford admitted to years of drug and alcohol problems, he said it doesn't affect his work. "It has nothing to do with your profession," he said. He later called his record the best in the history of the mayor's office.
5. He gave the keys to his SUV to a woman later arrested for impaired driving near his treatment facility.
While he was in rehab, a Muskoka, Ont., woman named Leanne McRobb was arrested for impaired driving in his vehicle. Ford admitted to giving her the keys to the Cadillac Escalade, but says she was not impaired at that time. He would not go into any further detail of their relationship, citing privacy issues at the rehab facility.