Rob Ford will be back to work in 4 or 5 weeks, Doug Ford says

Rob Ford will be back in the Toronto mayor's chair in four or five weeks, according to his brother, Coun. Doug Ford.

The mayor has been a patient at the GreeneStone rehabilitation centre in Bala, Ont., for alcohol-related treatment since early May. He went for treatment after it emerged he had been drinking in bars and allegedly smoking crack in his sister's basement.

• Rob Ford's Escalade impounded, woman charged with DUI
• Rob Ford's addiction: Reducing stigma or doing a 'disservice' to rehab?

Coun. Ford visited the mayor on Sunday, and said the signs are good his brother can return to work in a few weeks.

"He's looking fabulous. He's lost quite a bit of weight, says he's feeling healthier than he ever has. So he's looking good," said Coun. Ford on Tuesday. "I can't wait to have him back, and get into the race and game on."

Coun. Ford said he cannot shed any light on the mystery surrounding the mayor's Cadillac Escalade, which was impounded after a woman was allegedly caught driving it under the influence. It now sits in an impound lot, and for reasons unknown has had its licence plates removed.

"Rob is the type of guy that gives his shirt off his back to anyone, and tries to help people out," is how Doug Ford explained how Lee Anne McRobb, a 36-year-old Muskoka-area woman arrested for drunk driving, ended up behind the wheel of Ford's vehicle.

'When Rob gets back, game on'

He also said he doesn't care who removed the licence plates from the Escalade, as long as they are returned.

The impounded car will be picked up Tuesday in cottage country.

Coun. Ford also expressed disbelief in the media coverage of his brother.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said of media helicopters flying over the Muskoka region seeking out the mayor.

But Doug Ford promised that all the media attention on GreeneStone and the area surrounding it would end soon.

"I’m confident that Rob's going to be healthy. He's going to come out a new man. He's going to look at all the mistakes he's done in the past and move forward in a positive fashion."

Coun. Ford added that his brother cannot come back too soon, as the city is spending large amounts of money without any supervision.

"They're spending like crazy," he said of his colleagues at City Hall. "We need Rob Ford back here to keep an eye on things."

He also said the race for this October's mayor election is missing Ford as well.

"It's a dismal debate with dismal candidates, as far as I'm concerned," Ford says. "When Rob gets back, game on."

Impounded SUV driven off lot

On Tuesday afternoon, Ford's luxury Cadillac Escalade SUV was picked up by an unidentified man and driven off an impound lot in Gravenhurst. 

When the SUV left the lot, Ontario licence plates had been reaffixed to the vehicle. 

Last week, when the Escalade was first impounded by police, it did not have licence plates on it. Both OPP and the owners of the lot told CBC News they had no idea how or when the plates were removed. 

The vehicle was impounded after a 36-year-old Muskoka-area woman was detained and charged with impaired driving while behind the wheel of the SUV. 

CBC News confirmed that the woman, Lee Anne McRobb, had permission from the Esclade's registered owners to be using the vehicle. 

According to Ontario's impaired driving laws, a vehicle confiscated by police must remain impounded for at least seven days following the initial incident.