Toronto mayor in new crack video scandal

Controversial Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is to take a leave of absence to seek help for substance abuse, his lawyer says.

Dennis Morris said his client acknowledged he had an abuse problem and wanted to do something about it.

Ford, who is seeking re-election in October, has been stripped of many of his powers after admitting using and purchasing illegal drugs while mayor.

He admitted last year to smoking crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor”.

His admission, following months of denials, came after police said they had obtained a video that appeared to show him taking the illegal drug.

The Toronto Sun quotes Ford, 44, as saying he is “ready to take a break” from the election campaign to “go get help.”

He told the newspaper he was being urged to not leave the mayoral race by people around him.

“He acknowledges he has a substance abuse problem and he wants to do something about it,’’ Mr Morris told the Associated Press news agency.

The newspaper said it had obtained a new audio recording of him making abusive comments about other politicians.

Videos have emerged in recent months showing him ranting obscenely in an apparently intoxicated state.

Allegations have also surfaced in police documents that Ford used racially abusive language, threatened staff, sexually propositioned a female colleague, and snorted cocaine in a restaurant. He denies these allegations.

Ford was first elected in 2010 to lead Canada’s largest city on a pledge to tackle wasteful spending at city hall. He draws much of his support from the suburban areas of Toronto.

He soon privatised rubbish collection across much of the city and did away with a vehicle tax, but quickly became bogged down in disputes with the council.

In the fallout from the drugs scandal, the city council stripped Ford of most of his mayoral powers and his budget, rendering him effectively mayor in name only, analysts say.