TORONTO MAYOR ROB Ford has revealed that he will be back at work at the end of June following a stint in rehab for his internationally publicised alcohol and drug abuse.

In a letter to the city clerk, Ford said he “will be returning to City Hall on Monday, June 30th, 2014, in the later portion of the afternoon, to resume my duties as mayor of Toronto.”

He also asked to have the locks restored on his office.

Ford, 44, took a leave of absence from city hall in May in the middle of his re-election campaign to enter rehab after several videos surfaced over the past year showing him allegedly smoking crack.

The latest video reportedly showed him smoking the addictive cocaine derivative with his sister in her basement in April, refuting Ford’s claims that he had kicked the habit.

Smoking crack

The mayor’s drug abuse was first revealed last year when an alleged drug dealer tried to sell another video of him smoking crack to the media.

At first, Ford denied using the illicit drug but later acknowledged he had smoked the crack while in a “drunken stupor” and yet insisted he was not an addict.

Since then, Ford has been filmed numerous times in public behaving erratically.

Powers

Toronto City Council stripped the mayor of most of his powers in November over his misconduct.

Upon his return, Ford is expected to continue campaigning on a give-me-another-chance platform ahead of October elections.

The latest public opinion polls during his absence from the limelight showed his support has plunged to a low of 32 percent.

Interest in his antics, however, remains high and has even inspired a musical stage show about his life, premiering in Toronto in September.

- © AFP, 2014

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