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Canada: Toronto Mayor fresh out of rehab votes against helping homeless LGBT teens

Jul 11 2014
Written by Nick Duffy

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has voted against a proposal that would provide help for homeless LGBT teens, the only person to do so.

Mayor Rob Ford has recently returned from a two-month stint in rehab, following revelations that he had been caught smoking crack cocaine, drink-driving and injecting heroin during his term of office.

The proposal, which went before Toronto City Council yesterday, would look into allocating 25% of beds in youth shelters to people who identify as LGBTQ2S, in line with homelessness figures.

Ford was the only person on the entirety of Toronto City Council to vote against the proposal, leading it to pass with 37 in favour, and 1 against.

According to the Toronto Star, councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, the only openly gay member of the council: “The mayor is homophobic. He’s consistent.

“He’s done everything he can to demonstrate this is a community he doesn’t care about.

“I think he’s voting with his values, and his values are he doesn’t support the LGBT community.”

At the same meeting he was the only council member who did not stand to applaud the city staff and volunteers who worked on WorldPride, which was held in Toronto at the end of June.

Ford, who has never attended a Pride parade, in February objected to a rainbow flag being flown outside Toronto’s city hall.

Wong-Tam said: “I think he has just been very consistent from trying to rip down the rainbow flag, from not attending the Pride marches, he has done everything he can to destroy his relationships with the LGBT community.”

“He couldn’t even stand up to say thank-you.”

The council has voted to transfer some of Ford’s powers to the city’s Deputy Mayor, but he refuses to stand down from his post, and they do not have the authority to force him to do so.

Ford is currently running for re-election, with a ballot set for October 27, 2014.

Recent polling has Ford on 21%, trailing former councillor Olivia Chow, and former Progressive Conservative leader John Tory.