Mayor Rob Ford found himself in a different kind of trouble Thursday — elevator trouble.
Ford was an hour late for his speech to the Economic Club of Canada after getting stuck in a freight elevator.
He acknowledged last year that he smoked crack "in one of my drunken stupors" after police said they obtained a copy of a tape that appears to show him smoking crack. He refused to resign.
A handful of attendees left the event after getting tired of waiting for the mayor with no explanation provided.
“Get away from me!” Ford shouted at reporters as he eventually arrived and ran into a washroom.
His press secretary, Amin Massoudi, told reporters they had been trapped for 45 minutes.
Ford worked the delay into his speech, saying: “I want to thank the Economic Club of Canada for hosting today’s event and getting me locked in the elevator for 45 minutes,” he said.
Later at City Hall, Ford shrugged off the incident.
“What can you do?” he said, just before stepping on another elevator.
Ford — who had vowed last year that he had given up alcohol — was filmed Monday evening at a fast-food restaurant.
The video shows the intoxicated Mayor ranting and swearing while mimicking a Jamaican-style patois.