The 14 top reactions to the latest round of Rob Ford revelations
After new details emerged yesterday about pseudo-mayor Rob Ford’s alleged involvement in gang activity, blackmail and maybe even heroin use, the usual avalanche of reaction followed. This time around, though, there was a sense of Ford fatigue among commentators—a sigh-laden resignation to the likelihood that they’ll all be asked to react again sooner or later, and that they’ve already used up their most colourful adjectives. Here, nonetheless, are the key reactions to this Thursday’s news.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
—Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto
“If there’s anybody left in Toronto who expects [Ford] to tell the truth, they should probably get a drug test. It’s astonishing his capacity to distort reality.”
—Adam Vaughan, city councillor
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate to comment on the evidence. Our job is to put it before the court…There are a number of criminal prosecutions that have yet to take place.”
— Bill Blair, police chief
“What’s done is done. I can’t do anything about it. There was a poll done in my ward and Ford is way ahead of Chow.”
—Doug Ford, city councillor and Rob Ford’s brother, to CP24
“How [Ford] could believe that denying the existence of a video showing him smoking crack—that he must have known existed—would solve the problem, is impossible to comprehend. What it all suggests, at a minimum, is that Ford no longer deserves to be the mayor of Toronto. Not now. Not ever.”
—Toronto Sun editorial board
“It’s not an allegation that this was said. This was said. There’s no question that these things [reported in the police documents] were said.”
—Stephen LeDrew, CP24 host
“Maybe each one of these incidents where he demonstrates his arrogance, his lack of judgement, will strengthen the people’s commitment to see the backside of him, whether it’s now or whether it’s in 2014.”
—Janet Davis, city councillor
“It could be more than crack cocaine. Cocaine, heroin, all these other illegal substances. The mayor has to give a full disclosure of what his involvement is with those drugs and with those gang members.”
—Denzil Minnan-Wong, city councillor
“You don’t get marks for confessing after you’ve been caught…I think we’re entitled to the whole story at this point.”
—Peter Jacobsen, lawyer for the media who argued for the release of the documents
“The way [Ford] tried to get that video, I hope the police are looking at that from a criminality perspective. This should not be tolerated in a fair and democratic society.”
—Joe Mihevc, city councillor
“This was the most microscopic investigation in police history. Probably cost hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more. They followed [Ford] for weeks and weeks without finding anything involving any criminal allegation…The police should be held accountable for this.”
—Dennis Morris, Rob Ford’s lawyer
“Toronto likes to consider itself a world-class city. Just imagine if the mayor of New York, Chicago or Boston had acted like Rob Ford. Can you ever envision the leaders of those cities remaining so silent? It is simply unimaginable. Toronto deserves better.”
—John Honderich, chair of Torstar Corporation
“You walk around carrying too many secrets that are shared with too many unsavoury characters, you put yourself in a position that no one would want to find themselves in.”
—John Parker, city councillor
“There’s nothing really in here that will shock at this point…the police have clearly had all this information on Ford for some time, and they haven’t acted. Why would they now?”
—Matt Gurney, National Post columnist
(Images: Vaughan, Doug Ford, Davis, Minnan-Wong, Mihevc, Parker: City of Toronto; Gurney: National Post; Honderich: Toronto Star; Morris, Jacobsen, LeDrew: CP24/screencap; Blair: TPS/screencap)
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/reactions-rob-ford-heroin-blackmail/&title=The 14 top reactions to the latest round of Rob Ford revelations&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Rob-Ford-Reactions-Main-624x208.jpg&description=
After new details emerged yesterday about pseudo-mayor Rob Ford's alleged involvement in gang activity, blackmail and maybe even heroin use, the usual avalanche of reaction followed. This time around, though, there was a sense of Ford fatigue among commentators—a sigh-laden resignation to the likelihood that they'll all be asked to react again sooner or later, and that they've already used up their most colourful adjectives. Here, nonetheless, are the key reactions to this Thursday's news.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
—Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto
"If there's anybody left in Toronto who expects [Ford] to tell the truth, they should probably get a drug test. It's astonishing his capacity to distort reality."
—Adam Vaughan, city councillor
"I don't believe it's appropriate to comment on the evidence. Our job is to put it before the court...There are a number of criminal prosecutions that have yet to take place."
— Bill Blair, police chief
"What's done is done. I can't do anything about it. There was a poll done in my ward and Ford is way ahead of Chow."
—Doug Ford, city councillor and Rob Ford's brother, to CP24
"How [Ford] could believe that denying the existence of a video showing him smoking crack—that he must have known existed—would solve the problem, is impossible to comprehend. What it all suggests, at a minimum, is that Ford no longer deserves to be the mayor of Toronto. Not now. Not ever."
—Toronto Sun editorial board
"It's not an allegation that this was said. This was said. There's no question that these things [reported in the police documents] were said."
—Stephen LeDrew, CP24 host
“Maybe each one of these incidents where he demonstrates his arrogance, his lack of judgement, will strengthen the people’s commitment to see the backside of him, whether it’s now or whether it’s in 2014.”
—Janet Davis, city councillor
"It could be more than crack cocaine. Cocaine, heroin, all these other illegal substances. The mayor has to give a full disclosure of what his involvement is with those drugs and with those gang members."
—Denzil Minnan-Wong, city councillor
"You don't get marks for confessing after you've been caught...I think we're entitled to the whole story at this point."
—Peter Jacobsen, lawyer for the media who argued for the release of the documents
"The way [Ford] tried to get that video, I hope the police are looking at that from a criminality perspective. This should not be tolerated in a fair and democratic society."
—Joe Mihevc, city councillor
"This was the most microscopic investigation in police history. Probably cost hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more. They followed [Ford] for weeks and weeks without finding anything involving any criminal allegation...The police should be held accountable for this."
—Dennis Morris, Rob Ford's lawyer
"Toronto likes to consider itself a world-class city. Just imagine if the mayor of New York, Chicago or Boston had acted like Rob Ford. Can you ever envision the leaders of those cities remaining so silent? It is simply unimaginable. Toronto deserves better."
—John Honderich, chair of Torstar Corporation
"You walk around carrying too many secrets that are shared with too many unsavoury characters, you put yourself in a position that no one would want to find themselves in."
—John Parker, city councillor
"There’s nothing really in here that will shock at this point...the police have clearly had all this information on Ford for some time, and they haven’t acted. Why would they now?"
—Matt Gurney, National Post columnist
(Images: Vaughan, Doug Ford, Davis, Minnan-Wong, Mihevc, Parker: City of Toronto; Gurney: National Post; Honderich: Toronto Star; Morris, Jacobsen, LeDrew: CP24/screencap; Blair: TPS/screencap)){kind=link}
Honestly, why the people of Toronto aren’t picketing City Hall on a daily basis is beyond me. I myself make sure I write to the mayor (i refuse to capitalize that), his brother the shadow-mayor, and my councillor, each time I feel I must. Everyone should take two minutes today to write to Rob Ford to tell him his behaviour is NOT befitting the city, and does NOT represent them or their best interests.
For the record, here is part of the mayor’s job description:
“In addition, as Chief Executive Officer of the City (c. 134), the Mayor shall:
(a) uphold and promote the purposes of the City;
(b) Promote public involvement in the City’s activities
(c) Act as the representative of the City both within and outside the City, and promote the city locally, nationally and internationally; and
(d) Participate in and foster activities that enhance the economic, social and environmental well‐being of the City and its residents.”
You can write to the mayor here (via the City of Toronto website):
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=615332d0b6d1e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Thats all you got?…i mean…”not befitting”? So, thats it?…thats the best the people of toronto can do? Why is this ‘proven’ criminal still at city hall? This POS should be in jail or in treatment, not riding elevators at city hall. Dealing in drugs is a crime in canada right?. i mean we have how many people in jails for smoking weed and this douche bag and his criminal family is out peddling in heroin, coke and who knows what else; even after being filmed using. Any other canadian would be in jail…well maybe not any other because as long as those others are fat white people then no jail time is necessary right? Why not him? because he has other fat white men in suits, doing the same thing, sitting in offices that protect his sorry a#%? Canadian justice at its best i suppose; maybe call in the coke dealing, women hating pecker woods at the RCMP to investigate? Fat and White..do no time, brown and poor then cya later; what a BS justice system and a BS political system that props it up; pure BS. This POS Ford, Wallen, Duffy and that other POS Boreseau all pointed their stubby fingers at native communities and called them thieves, then revenue canada stepped in and said “it aint so”. All the while, they were the ones stealing. Get people looking the other direction while they steal; typical arrogant and corrupt Conservative Party a$$-holes. They and their traitorous proroguing PM should be locked up, if only to teach the rest of canada a dirty good lesson about the ‘public trust’.
I agree, however, i am not the police and i can’t arrest him. My powers are limited, so i am suggesting to people that instead of bitching in the comments section online that they write to the mayor, to their councillor, that they do *something*.
Thanks very much for putting this address. I sent mine “nice” email…
I’m living in the heart of Toronto (the Annex), and I am totally mentally numbed by this story. All I can do is wait and vote next year. No amount of marching will make these two idiots (and there are two; don’t forget the sinister brother, Councillor Doug Ford) go away. They love the negative attention. And our laws, as they stand today, are unable to remove the scum from the sidewalks, only the snow.
Picketing city hall is a waste. Why Ford is not in jail is beyond me. Any other poor sap would of been charged and had their ass thrown in jail. It’s either the Toronto Police are afraid to do their job or something. Doesn’t seem strange? But this is Toronto and this is Canada, where criminals such as Ford and Harper can commit crimes and are untouchable. But then, we have many a disillusioned people that believe Canada is a great country! When will these poor bastards wake up?? I’m sorry to say this: But if this was the U.S, both these undesirables would be in jail.
One more thing: Anyone that voted for Ford or the Con party got what they deserved. The last laugh will be on the citizens of Hog Town.
The Conservatives are similar to that of the republicans in the U.S: Pathological liars!! Ford and Harper both have one common trait, they both deflect the blame. My god people, wake up!!