Top 25 Controversial Statements by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Toronto's ever-controversial mayor never seems to shy away from controversy, whether it be feuding with the media, denying a crack pipe scandal, or repeatedly being caught in an inebriated state on cell phone camera footage

1.      Sobriety- A speech in city hall, Toronto to say how sorry he was when his first crack story went viral but he did again, didn’t he?

“With today’s announcement, I know I embarrassed everyone in this city and I will be forever sorry. There is only one person to blame for this and that is myself. I know that admitting my mistake was the right thing to do and I feel like 1,000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders”

 

2.     F..K it. Baddest guy alive. In a superficial arm-wrestling match with Hulk Hogan for fan Expo, he said "If I win, I will fucking donate…"

3.     Damn it I am the Mayor—Two women spotted Rob Ford on Hollywood Boulevard. One of them squealed. She demanded a photo.
       Ford complied. A man stared. Then the man asked Ford a question.

“What movie were you in again?”

The mayor of Toronto quietly explained that he is the mayor of Toronto. The man, who goes by the name “Fifth Ave Dave,” said “Ohhh.” One of the women yelled, “He’s the f--ing mayor!” Someone yelled something about “crackhead” former Washington mayor Marion Barry.

4.     I am just an ordinary guy- Rob Ford told a CityTV interviewer that he is an “average, hard-working guy,” not a celebrity. He was not in the mood to muse about the curious nature of his fame.  Please ask him what he is doing on Jimmy Kimmel’s show

 

5.     Taxpayers, Taxpayers, Taxpayers- On councilors blowing taxpayer’s money. Ford, angrily brandishing the city documents, told a small group of reporters he hastily summoned to the hallway outside his office ‘This is not about Rob Ford. This is about abuse of taxpayers’ money. When you give ’em an inch, they take a yard. It’s disheartening. This really bothers me…. They’re going to have to answer to the taxpayers for this. Because I’m not letting this go.”

 

6.     In-bound Customer Service- “All I have ever done in 10 years of politics is return people’s calls and try to help out every single person…His tenor became threatening. I began to fear for my family. He clearly said on the tape that he could see my house. In my opinion, this person needs help,” Ford said in a June 2010 news conference on him “trying” to find painkiller OxyContin for a man identified as Dieter Doneit-Henderson. Ford says he doesn’t “know any drug dealers at all.” 

7.      P***Y home dinner, well served- On allegations that he once demanded oral sex from a female staffer. The mayor said he’s “happily married” and has “more than enough to eat at home’’. Later he apologized, “I want to apologize for my graphic remarks this morning,” said Ford during a press conference at city hall Thursday afternoon. 

 
      Councillor Janet Davis was shell-shocked at Ford’s comment. She had this to say

“I heard the mayor make statements I found repugnant, distasteful, hateful and misogynist about a former staff person and his wife. I have never heard such disgraceful language and statements made in the public realm by an elected official, ever.”

 

8.     Don’t you get, I make mistake people. – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford apologized for his graphic remarks made Thursday morning when he denied reports he made lewd comments to a female aide last year. 

“I want to apologize for my graphic remarks this morning,” he said during a press conference at city hall. “Today, I acted on complete impulses.”

 

Ford denied allegations he verbally abused now-former staffer Olivia Gondek. The new unredacted police documents from a former staffer said the mayor told her he would “eat her out.” 

9.     Always receiving support, question is who advices this Mayor? Ford also said the allegations are “100 per cent” lies and also made reference to help he is getting for his substance abuse issues. 

“I am receiving professional support and seeking advice from people with expertise.”

 

10. I am not Alcoholic, I am just a Mayor- At first allegation on Rob Ford taking crack, he took a week to reply and he denied it, until later he ate his words back. The ‘highlights’ of what Mayor Rob Ford said, addressing the media that day 

  “I do not use crack cocaine and do not have an addiction to crack”….says he cannot comment on a video he has not seen, but says he is not an addict

 

If you are not an alcoholic, nor an addict, then who are you… I guess I am Mayor, Mayor of Toronto City.

 

11.   Thought I got hammered- On His behavior at Pilaros Taste of the Danforth festival “The Danforth, that was pure stupidity,” he said. “I shouldn’t have got hammered down at the Danforth.”

 

12.  We all drink, don’t we drink at least water- On November, 5, 2013. Admitting he has used crack cocaine in the past “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine… probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately, about a year ago,” he said.

 

13.  A big applause for not missing work for 14years- Last Month Mayor Rob Ford was grilled about his crack cocaine scandal on CBC’s Metro Morning as the mayor claimed “my character speaks for itself.”  

Ford attempted to deflect questions by accusing Galloway of “rehashing this personal stuff” and saying he “know[s] what people want to talk about.” He again asserted his claim of saving the city $1-billion. 

Galloway replied that in an election the issue isn’t just about balancing books, but about “electing character.” 

“My character speaks for itself,” Ford retorted. Ford claimed that he hasn’t “missed a day of work for 14 years,” and invited Galloway to “put [his] attendance up against anybody else. I’m there every day.”

 

14. Crack is not strong enough to make me resign - After earlier denial of a crack video- Oct. 31 last year: “I have no reason to resign,” Ford tells reporters outside his City Hall office. 

“I think everyone has seen the allegations against me today,” says the mayor.

 

“I wish I could come out and defend myself. Unfortunately, I can’t, because it’s before the courts. And that’s all I can say right now.”

15.  No Video, No Story. Wait for the Video in the Winter- In an interview with lawyer Lorne Honickman on AM640, when asked specifically about it by a caller, Ford says, “I can’t comment on a video I have not seen.” Honickman asks Ford which mistakes he was apologizing for specifically.

“There’s a number of self-inflicted mistakes,” Ford says, citing his “wild” party on St. Patrick’s Day 2012 and his public drunkenness at an August Taste of the Danforth festival.

16. New education on Alcohol- When Honickman asks Ford why he specified alcohol and not drug use in his apology, Ford acknowledges his past drinking, and adds:

“If you call that a drug, which I guess alcohol is, I have to curb my drinking.”

Honickman asks specifically about crack. Ford repeats he is not a crack addict and adds he’s “not an addict of any type of drug, even alcohol.”

17.  Infamous video rant- Ford: No holds barred brother, he dies or I die brother

Brother: You’ve never seen me fucking go

Ford: You think so, brother? But when he’s down. I’ll rip his fucking throat out

I’ll poke his eyes out

I will, fuck, when he’s dead

You help make sure that motherfucker’s dead

I need fucking ten minutes to make sure he’s dead

Drunk in a bar….Ford refuse to acknowledged who he was talking about

18. I got my Jamaican Patois, bombaclat! January 21, 2014: A video of Ford drunkenly rambling profanity in Jamaican patois in a Rexdale restaurant surfaced on YouTube, in the face of his claims to have sworn off booze. He can be heard referring to Police Chief Bill Blair and five months of surveillance – “do you know how much money that cost?” – as well as his own visits to “Jane and Finch” and “Jamestown” and Malvern.
 

“I was with some friends and what I do in my personal life … has nothing to do with you guys. It’s my own time, it’s my own friend,” said Ford of the video.

“If I speak that way, it’s how I speak with some of my friends, I don’t think it’s discriminatory at all.” 

19. Action speaks louder than words- At an Interview with Matt Lauer in November, 2013 in Which Rob Ford challenged Lauer to return to Toronto to see his progress in dealing with his personal issues   "All I can say, Matt, is action speaks louder than words. I invite you to come back, give me five or six months, and if you don't see a difference, I'll eat my words,"

 

20.  What is past is past- At a follow up interview with Matt Lauer- Ford reiterates his commitments not to drink again. "Have I had a drink? Yes, I have," admitted Ford. "But not to the point of some of the episodes before. So you know what, that’s past me, and we’re moving on. Again I just can't wait for the campaign 

21.  Jesus Moment- In an interview with CBC News on November 18, 2013, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he's had a kind of "come-to-Jesus" moment and said he's "finished" with alcohol and doesn't do drugs…. "There's a lot of people who have done what I've done," Ford told Mansbridge. "I’m a human being, Peter."

Ford made the comments in an interview with CBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge shortly after council voted overwhelmingly to slash his office budget and strip him of powers in the wake of a drug-use scandal.

Ford was clearly angry about the council rebuke during Monday's interview, which he said will leave him struggling to do his job and will cut his staff from about 19 people to eight.

"They gave me 25 per cent of what [previous mayor] David Miller had," said Ford. "I return thousands of calls. I can't function as mayor of Toronto with eight people in my office. They stripped me of everything I had, all because of personal problems."

 

22. They can all go for I care, I’ll pick the calls anyway- At the outset of ongoing controversy surrounding Rob Ford in May last year, five of his staffers were either sacked or fired including his Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s chief of staff Mark Towhey and executive assistant, Kia Nejatian… when questioned on the unfolding development, Rob gave this cover-up reply ‘The work is being done. Phone calls are being returned. Emails are being answered. Things are going great and things are fine…. I’m keeping taxes low, I’ve saved a billion dollars’

 

23. Don’t know Hell’s Angels, I am Heaven’s Angel- Late last year at a sporting event, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford took time to explain a photo taken over the weekend in which he is seen with alleged members of the Hells Angels, stating that he wasn't aware with whom he had his photo taken.

"You guys and your photos," Ford said, shaking his head. "I don't even know what photo you're talking about … I took probably about close to 1,000 pictures before the game, during the game, at half-time... after the game.

 

"How am I supposed to know who's who? Seriously, I don't check for people's credentials and ask for resumes before I take a picture"So if they put it on the website, what can I do?" he asked. "I wasn't aware that I was taking a picture with the Hells Anjessugels." 

24.Are you guys in the 18^th Century? Common lets legalize marijuana- Rob Ford speaks favorably of marijuana decriminalization- after Ford has admitted to using crack cocaine and marijuana as mayor and powder cocaine in the past.

 

      He is now the most prominent Conservative to muse about marijuana decriminalization in recent years

 

“The Conservative government up here is very — you know, it’s job creation, it is stimulating the economy but I’ve questioned that too sometimes — why wouldn’t they at least decriminalize it and try to get revenue from it,” Ford said. 

25. I am no criminal until proven otherwise- Ford grew testy when CBC Radio host Matt Galloway suggested he has been engaged in criminal behavior.

 

“Well, I’m not a criminal, and if you’re going to make those accusations of me being a criminal, there’s not that much sense in moving ahead because I haven’t been charged with anything,” Ford said. 

“What I’ve said from day one is if I’m going to get charged, then charge me, if there’s a tape out there release it, and how much did this investigation cost, and I want answers to that and I haven’t received it, but don’t call me a criminal, Matt, because I’m not a criminal.” 

Ford said “people are starting to become numb,” to the repeated accusations.

 

“My character speaks for itself. I haven’t missed a day of work for 14 years. You put my attendance up against anybody else. I’m there every day,” he said.

 Verdict: Keep Calm Mayor, Carry on the good work