Mayor Ford says he was reprimanded for speaking to Sun: report

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he was reprimanded for speaking to the Toronto Sun while at a treatment centre for alcohol abuse, according to a report that was published in the newspaper on Thursday morning.

Ford told Sun columnist Joe Warmington in a second call on Wednesday that he violated the in-treatment policy of speaking to the media while in the program, and for mentioning other patients who are sharing the space with him at the undisclosed facility.

Coun. Doug Ford told the Toronto Sun that doctors called him as well to stress the no-media rule.

The mayor is on a leave of absence from city hall, with no timeline for his return, after admitting to problems with alcohol.

Ford’s commitment to his rehabilitation was being questioned by some after he reportedly told Warmington on Tuesday that he was still returning calls from constituents.

Ford has not said where he is undergoing treatment.

Doug Ford has said the location of the rehab facility will be kept confidential out of privacy concerns for others in the same facility.

However, in Wednesday’s article, the mayor told Warmington he is sharing rehab space with “two doctors, a captain of industry and a professional athlete.”

Meantime, Maclean’s magazine is out with a cover story on Thursday about why the mayor is not done yet and explores the question of whether the treatment will help or hurt him.

Mayor Ford has surprised many people with his desire to stay in touch with city councillors and reporters while seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.

The magazine depicts Ford as an inflatable punching toy that bounces back after you hit it.

 

The question on the minds of many voters and politicians is will he continue to bounce back.

“Part of the Rob Ford branding has always been his pigheadedness, his stubbornness, his wilfulness, and the sense that he has taken so many hits over the past year, particularly the question has be been deflated or will be bounce back,” the article’s co-author Anne Kingston told 680News on Wednesday.

“There’s a lot of skepticism surrounding Rob Ford’s redemption … we talked to a lot of people who are very skeptical that he can come back. The numbers aren’t there for him right now — his base has eroded.”

The article, titled Rob Ford: Why he’s not done yet, is available on Thursday on newsstands and via the magazine’s iPad edition. It is also available on Next Issue.

With files from Erin Criger.