Rob Ford ally says Toronto festival video 'inconclusive'
Mayor Rob Ford stayed away from Toronto City Hall on Monday, leaving one of his longtime supporters to answer questions about his behaviour at a weekend street festival.
When Ford went to the Taste of the Danforth festival on Friday night, he mingled with members of the public and posed for pictures. His visit was also videotaped and posted online.
Witnesses at the festival said Ford appeared drunk and slurred his words.
On Sunday, Ford addressed the matter on his weekly radio show, telling listeners that he had consumed a "couple of beers," and also that he believed the matter had been blown out of proportion. The mayor also said he was driven home at the end of the night.
In Ford's absence on Monday, Doug Holyday, recently elected to the Ontario legislature as the member for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, was asked about what he thought about the videos of the mayor from the festival.
"I thought they were inconclusive," Holyday said.
"I really couldn’t determine a lot of what was being said and who was saying it, actually."
Ford's office said the mayor would not be available for comment Monday on the videos that emerged over the weekend.
Holyday renewed calls for Ford to have a professional driver, a suggestion the mayor has rejected in the past.
Coun. Shelley Carroll suggested that a driver could help solve some issues.
"This is a person who knows the suspicions who swirl around him, so protect yourself by having professional staff with you," she told CBC News in an interview.
