Toronto - Crack-smoking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was verbally abusive and scuffled with fellow addicts during his two months in drug-and-drink rehab, Canadian media said on Wednesday.
Ford, who is seeking re-election in October despite revelations that he smoked crack while in office, returned to work last month after rehab proclaiming he was on the “long, long road to recovery” and had “begun the process of taking control of my life”.
But accounts of his stint in rehab paint a different picture, the Toronto Star reported, citing sources with knowledge of his time there.
“Ford broke things, got into fights with other residents,” one source said.
Another source said “Ford stopped people from sharing their stories, which is key to a successful rehab experience”.
“Other residents felt intimidated. They felt he was a bully. He was always saying he did not belong there,” the source added.
Management was concerned that Ford may have continued to use drugs or alcohol during his time in rehab, the report said, though it was unable to determine if that had actually been the case.
Police were called at least once to deal with an incident at the GreeneStone facility, but it was not known if that was related to Ford, the newspaper said, basing its claims on the accounts of three people with knowledge of Ford's time there, including a fellow patient.
Despite initial denials, Ford has acknowledged he smoked crack while in a “drunken stupor”.
Prior to seeking help, the 45-year-old was filmed numerous times behaving erratically in public.
Toronto's city council stripped him of most of his mayoral powers in November over his misconduct.
Ford said that during his time in rehab, he underwent “hundreds of hours of intensive therapy”. - AFP