Mayor Rob Ford has publicly apologized to the citizens of Toronto,
saying he was "blind to the dangers of some of the company" he kept, and
is committed to "living clean" following a two-month stint in rehab.
In a press conference Monday afternoon, Ford said he is "ashamed,
embarrassed and humiliated" by some of the choices he made in the past.
"I was wrong, and I have no one to blame but myself," he said at. "It
was never my intention to embarrass the ci
ty or offend my fellow members
of council. I deeply regret some of the personal choices I have made in
the past."
Ford, who returned to city hall on Monday after a two-month stint at
GreenStone rehab facility, also apologized to mayoral candidate Karen
Stintz for the "hurtful and degrading remarks" he made about her.
"I offer a deep-felt apology for my behaviour," he said.
Ford took a sudden leave of absence from office back in April to seek
professional help for substance abuse, following a new string of racist,
sexist and homophobic comments that were recorded and made public. In
one of the recordings, Ford is allegedly heard making lewd comments
about Stintz, who is also a Ford’s council colleague, while at a bar.
The mayor marked his return to Toronto Monday with an invitation-only
news conference. He did not take questions from a hand-picked crowd of
reporters.
Ford's brother, Coun. Doug Ford, picked the mayor up from rehab Monday morning.
Doug Ford told reporters on Sunday that the mayor is eager to get back
to work. "He'll be hungry," said the mayor’s brother. "He's looking
forward to it and he's had a lot of time to do what he needs to do."
Doug Ford said his brother has dropped a considerable amount of weight, going from a size 52 to 44 waistline.
"I'm heavier than he is now," the councillor said on Sunday.
Ford returned to Toronto with a legitimate shot at re-election, experts say.
The embattled mayor has actually risen in the polls during the stint in
rehab, which he announced shortly after a new string of racist, sexist
and homophobic comments were recorded and made public in April and May.
Ford posed with a number of individuals in Barrie, Ont. on Sunday as he
went shopping for a new suit ahead of his return. Ford appears
noticeably slimmer in the photos posted on Sunday
CTV
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