But what do we really know about David Price, the mysterious senior aide to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?
On Thursday, the Toronto Star published an exclusive story reporting that Metrolinx, the crown agency in charge of public transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, is investigating several incidents at a Toronto GO station involving Ford's director of operations and logistics.
According to The Star's Kenyon Wallace, Price is accused of recently berating a transit employee at the Georgetown GO station and breaking a door after missing his train.
"He told the attendant to f--- off. I had enough of that behaviour," said Marc Surette, who owns a café in the station. "You can't run around treating people that way because of who you think you are."
But controversy is nothing new for Price, who was hired by Ford in April and began making headlines after the mayor was accused of being caught on tape smoking crack cocaine. Ford denies the allegation.
When asked why Price was brought on staff, Councillor Doug Ford said at the time, simply: "You can’t teach loyalty."
Check the gallery below to learn more about Price, who worked as a financial advisor before joining Ford's staff.
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1 He Was Rob Ford’s High School Football CoachCP
Price attended high school with Doug Ford in the 1980s and coached the mayor, who is five years younger, at Scarlett Heights high school. -
2 He Makes A Nice LivingCP
Price earns an estimated $130,000-a-year salary, according to The Star. His job entails monitoring how efficiently Ford’s office responds to emails. -
3 He Was Accused Of Dealing Drugs In The 1980sCP
In May, The Globe and Mail published a bombshell story detailing Doug Ford's alleged history dealing hashish in the 1980s. Ford denied the story was true. But Globe reporters Greg McArthur and Shannon Kari also wrote that Price was identified by several sources as a participant in "Doug Ford’s hashish enterprise." Four former dealers told the Globe that Price was essentially a partner. "Doug brought the supply, and Dave brought the demand," one ex-dealer told the paper. Price also denied he was involved in dealing drugs, telling The Toronto Sun’s Don Peat the story was a "hatchet job" and complete fabrication. -
4 He Reportedly Asked A ‘Hypothetical’ Question About A TapeCP
Price's life became more complicated in May after two reporters at The Star and an editor of the U.S. website Gawker reported they watched a tape showing Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. Ford denied the incident took place and says the tape doesn't exist. But sources told the Star that, a day after the news broke, Price asked Ford’s then-chief of staff, Mark Towhey, what to do if he "hypothetically" knew the location of the tape. According to a later account of the conversation in the Star, Towhey said: "We’re not getting the f---ing thing!" This summer, Towhey – who was fired from Ford’s office in the thick of the controversy – told Newstalk 1010 that he contacted police while serving as Ford’s top aide. "It's fair to say that I initiated contact with the police when I came into some information that I thought may be useful to them," he said. In August, The Star reported that Price and Ford associate, Alexander Lisi, were "on a mission" to obtain the alleged video in the days after the story broke, making phone calls and pursuing leads in the Dixon Rd. highrises where two Star reporters say they viewed the tape. -
5 He's 'Dave From Scarborough' and 'Dave From Etobicoke'CP
The CBC revealed in June that Price made repeated calls to Rob Ford's weekly radio show, posing as "Dave from Scarborough" or "Dave from Etobicoke," prior to joining the mayor's staff. Price apparently got on the air about six times and praised the Ford brothers, who had previously maintained callers weren't screened. Toronto Life has audio clips of at least two calls. Ford suspended Price for one week, without pay, after it was revealed he anonymously called The Sun to complain about a headline concerning the story. -
6 He Was Accused Of Uttering Homophobic SlurCP
In June, Price allegedly uttered a homophobic slur at CBC city hall reporter Jamie Strashin, who broke the "Dave from Scarborough" story. Price was absent from City Hall for two weeks after the incident.
Source: huffingtonpost.ca
Author: The Huffington Post Canada
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