On same day Rob Ford denies illegal drug use, Toronto mayor says Canadian taxpayers should help pay for city’s subway

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford strongly believes taxpayers from other Canadian cities should help fund Toronto's subway expansion, prompting him to end a streak of absences and attend a Canadian mayor's caucus meeting this weekend.

Ford announced on Tuesday that he would be attending the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayor's Caucus in Ottawa, where he will push for the lion's share of a $14-billion infrastructure fund recently announced by the federal government.

“Toronto faces unique challenges, and we need the federal government to acknowledge this,” Ford told a press conference. “Toronto plays a central role in regional and national economic prosperity. When Toronto succeeds, the region succeeds and Canada succeeds."

Ford ended the press conference when he was asked about a claim made earlier in the day that he doesn’t use illegal drugs.

Ford appeared in an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show early Tuesday morning, during which he said he has "absolutely" been effective as mayor since admitting to smoking crack cocaine and being stripped of much of his mayoral power last year.

"We're on fire. We are doing a great job," he said. Ford, however, dodged Lauer's question on whether he has used illegal drugs since admitting to smoking crack.

"I don't use illegal drugs. I experimented with them probably about a year ago, but I don't use drugs."

Ford said that he still had an occasional drink of alcohol, but not to the point of "some of the episodes before." That discounts a recent incident in which he was recorded inebriated and slurring and speaking in a Jamaican accent at an Etobicoke restaurant.

"I was brought up with a lot of Jamaican friends," he explained.

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Ford’s bid to be re-elected mayor became notably tougher on Monday when right-leaning John Tory and Coun. Karen Stintz officially joined the mayoral race. Ford has said he will run a campaign focused on his record – most specifically his desire to build subways.

It appears part of the plan to build subways is to secure more tax dollars from the federal government. The feds have already committed $660 million to help build a Scarborough subway.

Despite Ford's preparedness for his Tuesday press conference, he did not seem prepared to answer one key question: Why should other Canadian mayors take him seriously?

The question did not come in reference to his illegal drug use, shaken authority or the powers that were stripped from his office after he admitted he had been lying about his history with crack cocaine.

The question surrounded Ford's confounding history of skipping Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ conferences. It is believed this weekend's event will be the first mayor's conference Ford has attended since becoming mayor in 2010.

When asked why other mayors should take his demands seriously now, after undermining the caucus for years, Ford did not have a response. Instead, he reiterated his belief that the collection of Canadian mayors should be ready to bear some financial responsibility for expanding Toronto's subway system.

“We have issues, which is gridlock, we have a mayor that supports subways – that is getting subways built, not talking about it. They know I am not in favour of LRTs, they know we need money,” Ford said.

“That’s why I am going to talk to the other mayors. Besides Montreal, I don’t see any other subway system as great as ours.”

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The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City Mayor's Caucus is a chance for Canada’s municipal leaders to discuss the priorities on which they want to press the federal government.

As the leader of Canada's largest city, Toronto mayors tend to hold significant clout at such events. But that has been undermined by Ford's history of absences.

Ford skipped a conference in Vancouver last year during the early days of his crack scandal, at which Saanich, B.C., Mayor Frank Leonard called him an "embarrassment for our country."

This time around the conference will discuss $14-billion worth of infrastructure funding recently announced as part of the federal government's New Building Canada Fund.

Ford has previously said Toronto deserves a "lion's share of the money." Now, he just needs to convince the rest of the country.

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