Doug Ford disputes claims he used slur against Toronto Star reporter

Mayoral candidate Doug Ford is under fire for reports that he called someone "a little bitch" at the conclusion of a debate Wednesday night.

Mr. Ford's campaign is refusing to discuss the accusations, though it issued a statement insisting only that the candidate did not use the words to describe a Toronto Star reporter.

On Wednesday evening, after a scrum with Mr. Ford, Star reporter Jennifer Pagliaro tweeted that he had said "I can't stand that little bitch." She added: "I did not hear it. Multiple photographers heard it." The Star reported that an executive of CTV News, in whose studios the debate had been held, confirmed a producer had heard the comment.

Near midnight, Mr. Ford's campaign issued a statement about the report.

"I respect that reporters have a job to do but I am being accused of something that is not accurate. The Toronto Star is reporting that I made a derogatory comment about one of its reporters. The fact is, I had a private conversation with two of my staff members as I was walking out of the debate, and that private conversation was completely unrelated to anyone in the room. I never said anything about the Toronto Star reporter. This reporter heard something secondhand and based on this inferred I was talking about her, when the Toronto Star reporter's name didn't even come up once."

Mr. Ford's campaign has not returned a phone call and an e-mail from The Globe requesting information about the nature of his comment or its intended target.

His rivals were quick to jump on the incident. John Tory's campaign tweeted: "Doug Ford's comment to @JPags [Ms. Pagliaro] tonight is completely unacceptable … particularly from someone seeking to be mayor of this city. He should apologize immediately."

Ms. Chow's campaign tweeted: "@DougFord2014 should immediately apologize to @JPags for his repugnant comment. It is offensive to her, to women, and to this city."

The incident appears to mark a new turn in the frequently fractious relationship between the Fords and the Star. After the paper published a report in the summer of 2010 about Rob Ford's conduct as a high school football coach, the Fords sought ways to limit its access to his administration. The paper responded aggressively with coverage that some readers criticized as biased.