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Toronto mayor Ford to "get help" as new video surfaces- reports

by Reuters
Thursday, 1 May 2014 02:17 GMT

(Recasts with quote from lawyer to newspaper, report of second video)

TORONTO, April 30 (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who gained global notoriety after admitting to smoking crack cocaine, will take a break to deal with substance abuse issues, his lawyer told Canadian media, as one newspaper reported a new video showed him using what appears to be drugs.

The Globe and Mail newspaper said on Wednesday that two of its reporters had seen a new video of Ford taking a drag from a long copper-coloured pipe. The story, citing a self-professed drug dealer, said the video was secretly filmed early Saturday morning.

Ford's office and lawyer could not immediately be reached to comment on the report. Reuters has not seen the video and cannot vouch for its authenticity.

The newspaper also quoted Ford's criminal lawyer, Dennis Morris, as saying Ford will take a break from his job to "address the substance abuse problem he has."

Separately, the Toronto Sun newspaper reported that Ford had said he will take a break from his re-election campaign and "get help".

The Sun said it obtained a new audio recording of Ford ranting and swearing in a Toronto area bar.

Ford said he wants to "deal with his issues" but is being urged to not leave the mayoral race by people around him and plans to stay on the ballot, according to that report. (Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson and Allison Martell; Editing by Ken Wills)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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