Rob Ford鈥檚 mother and sister say the mayor鈥檚 drug and alcohol use is 鈥渘ot acceptable behaviour,鈥� but insisted that he鈥檚 not an addict and will survive the scandal that鈥檚 making international headlines.
鈥淩obbie鈥檚 not a drug addict,鈥� the mayor鈥檚 sister, Kathy Ford, told CP24's Stephen LeDrew Thursday in an interview at her mother Diane Ford鈥檚 Etobicoke home.
鈥淚 know because I鈥檓 a former addict 鈥� or an addict if you鈥檇 want to say,鈥� she said, adding that the mayor 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 function鈥� if he were addicted.
鈥淚f you want to consider binge drinking once every three months and you get totally plastered, which he just makes a fool out of himself鈥ine,鈥� Kathy said.
She said her brother 鈥渄oes not drink every night,鈥� but when he does consume alcohol, he goes 鈥渇ull tilt.鈥�
Ford鈥檚 mother and sister were speaking out for the first time since the mayor admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a 鈥渄runken stupor鈥� about a year ago.
On Thursday, swearing and talking about killing someone was posted by The Toronto Star. Ford told reporters that he was "extremely inebriated" at the time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not acceptable behaviour. He鈥檚 the mayor of the city,鈥� his mother told CP24.
Later in the interview, Diane Ford said her son does have a problem -- but not a drug problem.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a weight problem,鈥� she said, adding that the mayor鈥檚 size affects his demeanour.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a huge weight problem and he knows that. And I think that is the first thing he has to attack.鈥�
Diane Ford said she held a family meeting at her home last week, after Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair told reporters that police have recovered a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack.
The existence of that video was first reported by The Toronto Star and U.S. website Gawker in May.
鈥淗e talked, we listened. I talked, they listened,鈥� Diane said of the family meeting.
鈥淎nd we all had our say. It was a real outpouring of feelings.鈥�
Diane said she didn鈥檛 tell her son to 鈥渟hape up or ship out,鈥� but she told him to get a driver, do something about his weight, get an alcohol detector in his car and watch the company he鈥檚 keeping.
She also told Ford to see a counsellor or a psychologist to get help.
鈥淚 think he will do that, absolutely he will,鈥� she said.
鈥淚f he was really, really in dire straits鈥 would be the first one, I鈥檇 put him in my car and I would be taking him鈥e isn鈥檛 there.鈥�
Diane also said Ford鈥檚 accomplishments have been overlooked in the wake of the ongoing scandal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just so hurtful to the family and it鈥檚 just so hurtful to me as a mother.鈥�
She said everyone knows that Ford has hurt himself, and that he鈥檚 just human 鈥� 鈥渁 little too human.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 nothing that he can鈥檛 recover from.鈥�
