A screen shot from a video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking what has been described as crack cocaine by a self-professed drug dealer was secretly filmed in his sister’s basement early Saturday morning, April 26, 2014.
In light of a new drug video, a veteran Toronto Police detective said he is considering renewing his request to interview Mayor Rob Ford.
Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux said his original request to speak with Mr. Ford – made last year through lawyer Dennis Morris – was "open-ended" but he "may" approach him again.
"My offer with Mr. Morris still stands," he said in an interview on Friday. "I said I wanted to speak to [the mayor] and he declined, and I respect that. I've been told no many times. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but the offer stands."
Mr. Morris said he would continue to recommend that the mayor not talk to police.
"Everybody in Canada has the right to remain silent," he said. "You don't go through a red light and then say, 'Oh you know what? I'd better speak to the police.' The police will come to the individual and then if he speaks to a lawyer, the lawyer will say don't harm yourself by speaking to police, potentially."
After two new recordings surfaced late Wednesday, Mr. Ford announced he would take a leave of absence to seek professional treatment for his alcohol problem. The Globe revealed the existence of a video that shows the mayor smoking what has been described as crack cocaine last weekend, while the Toronto Sun reported Mr. Ford had made offensive comments at a bar on Monday.
The mayor checked into a rehab program on Thursday after flying to Chicago, said Mr. Morris, who added he believes the clinic is not located in the Windy City. He declined to be more specific, citing the mayor's privacy, but said there is no predetermined time frame. "It's like one day at a time when you're in treatment."
Det. Sgt. Giroux is investigating the new drug video as part of his ongoing, high-profile probe into the mayor and his associates known as Project Brazen 2. The investigation began nearly a year ago after media reports about another recording that is also alleged to show Mr. Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Det. Sgt. Giroux would not comment on whether he plans to try to speak with other people in the new video, which was recorded by a self-professed drug dealer in the basement of Mr. Ford's sister Kathy's house early Saturday. In addition to Ms. Ford, two Globe reporters who viewed the footage reported that a man resembling Alessandro (Sandro) Lisi, a close friend of the mayor, could be seen in the background.
"I just can't comment on specific investigative moves that we're going to make, but we'll make some."
Jill Mahoney