Ford has never explained why he missed the June 25 flag-raising, telling reporters only that he had “already committed to something.” Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said at the City Hall event that his aides had told her he was “extremely busy.”
But his itinerary, obtained through freedom of information law, shows only one appointment for June 25, a Monday. It is listed as “private,” which means it was not related to his job as mayor.
The rest of his workweek was also uneventful, the itinerary suggests. He had only two staff meetings and one constituent meeting on Tuesday, a single “private” appointment on Thursday, and nothing at all planned for Friday.
On Wednesday, he visited a Molson brewery and a neighbourhood plagued by gypsy moths, appeared on a radio show hosted by former premier Ernie Eves, and, according to the itinerary, met with members of a labourers’ union.
The “private” Monday appointment was listed for 12:30 p.m., a half-hour after the flag-raising began. A request for records about the appointment was denied because “the details of this meeting related to a private matter,” a city access and privacy officer said.
Ford missed the July 1 Pride parade to go to his family’s cottage, as he does nearly every year, and declined to attend any other events during the 10-day gay and lesbian festival. He also skipped the entire festival last year.
His absences have fuelled accusations of homophobia that have been strongly rejected by his allies. Councillors, including several allies, have privately and publicly urged him to attend at least one Pride event.
Ford made a surprise appearance at the City Hall flag-raising for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in May. He read a proclamation that said the “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited and transsexual community, like all the communities, are welcomed, safe and valued in this great city we call Toronto.” That drew loud cheers. He then left without speaking to the media.
More than 25 of the 44 city councillors attended the Pride flag-raising. Councillor Shelley Carroll read a proclamation on his behalf; attendees booed when she said the words “I, Mayor Rob Ford.”
Pride executive director Kevin Beaulieu said Wednesday: “He was certainly welcome to be there; it’s up to him whether he is going to choose to be there; we think he should want to be there as the mayor for all the people. I don’t think this changes that. We hope the mayor, and others who haven’t been, will take advantage of the opportunity to get to know our community. That’s a decision that they’ll have to make.”
Ford’s itinerary from March 11 through July 23 listed 17 of about 300 appointments as “private.” He has listed no meetings with gay community leaders since he took office nearly two years ago, though he has made time for everything from the opening of a vitamin store to a “video recording for [a] constituent’s bar mitzvah.”
Ford’s spokesperson, George Christopoulos, said on the day of the flag-raising only that Ford was “unavailable.” On Wednesday, he would not provide additional details. “It was a private appointment,” he said.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Daniel Dale
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