It’s official - Mayor Rob Ford will host levee

Rob Ford's ever-changing New Year's plans have been firmed up.

He will host his Levee – an event in which citizens line up to meet the mayor and city councillors – on January 1 at city hall from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Mr. Ford held similar events in the last two years but, earlier this month, his office said the Levee would either be cancelled or modified into a family skating party. It was unclear why the chief magistrate changed his mind.

The Levee is a long-standing tradition across Canada; in Toronto it dates back to 1968.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion will also host a levee at the city's Civic Centre, with members of her council, from 2 to 4 p.m.; Brampton Mayor Sue Fennell and councillors will greet the public at the Rose Theatre from noon to 3 p.m.

But while Mr. Ford is keen to shake hands with citizens, he is characteristically less than enthusiastic about answering questions: city hall announced that he will not speak with reporters at the event.

Generally a feel-good photo-op, its open nature can occasionally cause problems. At the 2012 event, for instance, Mr. Ford was unknowingly photographed with a former member of a neo-Nazi band, dressed in military attire.