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Mayor Rob Ford says he was "saddened and shocked" by a city ombudsman's report that says Toronto Community Housing Corporation proceeded with unfair evictions against vulnerable seniors.

Mr. Ford, who has been mired since mid-May in allegations he appeared on video using crack cocaine, spoke with reporters during a late-afternoon news conference at city hall Friday.

The late-day news conferences, in which the mayor discusses an event that occurred some days before and then declines to answer questions about the alleged video and a related photo, have quickly become part of the routine for the throng of journalists covering his every move. Mr. Ford has said he does not use crack cocaine and the video does not exist.

On Friday, he spoke about the TCHC report that had been released one day earlier. On Thursday, he spoke about a budget surplus that was announced Tuesday. On Wednesday, the topic was the Dufferin Street Bridge closure that was announced the previous week. And last Friday, Mr. Ford discussed a different, two-year-old TCHC report and said the organization was turning the corner.

At the most recent news conference, to discuss the ombudsman's report, Mr. Ford was flanked by TCHC president and chief executive officer Gene Jones. Mr. Ford said TCHC residents have "a special place" in his heart and he has visited thousands of units since he entered public office.

He said the ombudsman's report makes it clear some residents slipped through the cracks, but he is confident TCHC will correct the problems and move forward.

"I promise you we are not going to leave one person behind. Will everything be fixed tomorrow? Probably not. But I will give you my word, I will guarantee it, it will be fixed," he said.

The mayor again swatted away questions about the drug allegations. He wished the journalists a good weekend as he walked out of the room.

Mr. Jones had earlier vowed, during his own news conference Thursday, to implement all of the recommendations from the ombudsman's report.

"Are we going to still evict? Yes, we're going to evict for not paying rent. But we're going to do it humanely and make sure that we do everything possible to ensure that they're getting the services that they need," he said at the time. "The last thing we want to do is evict someone. But we do have to collect rent."

Councillor Adam Vaughan, who spoke with reporters shortly after the mayor's news conference, said the situation for TCHC residents has gotten worse under Mr. Ford's leadership.

"Mayor Ford has made it worse for seniors in public housing, period," he said. "That's what this report says and it's a damning report."

The 110-page report by ombudsman Fiona Crean said TCHC, the country's largest landlord, has shown a pattern of "callous" treatment to many vulnerable seniors. The report says Ms. Crean investigated the files of 79 seniors who were evicted in 2011 and 2012 and found eviction is not being used as a last resort, as TCHC policy stipulates.

The report highlights the cases of several seniors who Ms. Crean says were unfairly forced out of their homes.

One man was late in reporting a change in his income and was suddenly told he owed more than $3,000. He accumulated further arrears and died from a heart attack three weeks after eviction.

A woman with developmental disabilities who had lived in her home for 30 years had eviction proceedings commence against her following some noise complaints. TCHC staff had hoped starting the proceedings would change the woman's behaviour. She was also stripped of her subsidy after unverified reports her partner had moved in. TCHC later admitted that it shouldn't have taken away the woman's subsidy, or evicted her when she was unable to pay.

TCHC had vowed to change its practices following the 2009 death of Al Gosling. Mr. Gosling died at the age of 81, five months after he was left homeless. His death, during the mayoralty of David Miller, prompted an inquiry.

Ms. Crean said TCHC has since shown "little change in the practices relating to vulnerable seniors."

She said TCHC made arrears problems worse following Mr. Gosling's death by freezing evictions. She said that allowed rent arrears for some seniors to become insurmountable, a problem that was exacerbated when TCHC reverted back to tough enforcement.

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