Toronto's troubled mayor Rob Ford is loving rehab, and can't wait to get back to city hall in time for the election he's planning to win, according to the Toronto Sun.
“Rehab is amazing. It reminds me of football camp. Kind of like the Washington Redskins camp I went to as a kid," the Mayor said.
Ford is taking a leave of absence to enter rehab, after new videos surfaced of Ford appearing to smoke crack, and another of him shouting abuse whilst intoxicated.
Rob Ford was apparently filmed once again with a crackpipe
The Mayor had no plans to retire. He said that he was “coming back and going to kick butt” and added that he had been taking calls and doing some work while in rehab at an undisclosed location.
"On Oct 28, there will be no need to change the locks. There will be no need to clean out my office because I am coming back.”
His rehabilitation is rumoured to be taking place in the US, though Ford would not confirm this.
“I am working out every day and I am learning about myself, my past and things like that," he added.
Feeling frustration at his political opponents was "not an excuse to play the victim and it’s not an excuse to drink,” he said.
“I think alcohol is the worst drug of all. It makes you do things that you would never do or say things that you wouldn’t.
“I do feel bad about what happened, but it might have been the best thing that happened because I am working on getting better.”
Going into rehab was the “best decision” he has ever made, the Mayor said.
“I said to myself, ‘Am I going to try to cover it up for the rest of your life or deal with it and go to professional help?’ ” he said. “I decided to get help.”
Last month, Ford was filmed once again with a crack pipe in hand and said he would enter rehab, having refused to do so the previous time he was accused of smoking the drug.
The video, obtained by The Globe and Mail, was secretly recorded in his sister Kathy’s basement.
And a separate "raunchy" audio recording also emerged that week, purportedly of the Mayor making suggestive comments about about Councillor Karen Stintz. “I’d like to fucking jam her, but she doesn’t want … I can’t talk like this … I’m so sorry," he said.
The recording captured several aggressive statements allegedly made by Ford. "Give me a shot right now or I'll fucking break your legs. I want another one," and "If you don't give me a shot I'm going to knock your fucking teeth out," he is heard saying.
Declaring his intention to take a leave of absence, the mayor said he was going through "one of the most difficult times in my life".
