Mayor Rob Ford said the simmering debate over whether he should attend Toronto's Pride Parade was "nonsense" on Thursday, after announcing plans to skip the annual event in favour of spending the weekend at a cottage with his family.
"My family comes first. I'm getting a tremendous amount of support. Things are going very well," Ford told reporters during a public appearance Thursday afternoon.
Since Ford confirmed he would not attend the July 3 parade on Wednesday, city leaders and members of Toronto's gay and lesbian community have derided the decision, calling it shortsighted and saying it sent a bad message to Toronto's homosexual community.
When asked on Thursday whether his decision reflected personal views on homosexuality, Ford shook his head and said the notion was "a bunch of nonsense."
While it has been tradition for the mayor to attend the Toronto Pride Parade, Ford maintains that he will skip the event to spend time with his family at an annual Canada Day trip to his cottage in Huntsville.
Ford says his family has been spending its Canada Day weekends in cottage country since he was a child. He even took time off the campaign trail last summer to make the trip.
The entire Ford family chimed in on the controversy. Mother Diane Ford defended the trip, saying it was an important family tradition that she would be crushed to lose.
"We want to spend the weekend together, plain and simple. Now that both the boys are in politics it is very hard to get together," she told reporters.
Coun. Doug Ford said his brother's decision to miss the parade has been blown out of proportion, but told CP24's Sue Sgambati that they would attend the parade if they made it back from their cottage in time.
Francisco Alvarez, co-chair of Pride Toronto, says the door is still open for the first-term city leader to extend an olive branch to the city's gay and lesbian community.
He said that if the mayor can't make it to the July 3 parade he could still take part in the rest of the 10-day-long event, or could plan to attend next year.
"The invitation is still open. Maybe he will change his mind," said Alvarez. "If he can't participate this year, certainly next year or some other year. We really think it is important for our community to see the mayor participating."
A number of councillors, including Janet Davis and Kristin Wong-Tam, have expressed their disappointment with Ford's decision to skip the parade.
Even former mayor Mel Lastman chimed in, saying Ford should attend the Pride Parade. The right-leaning former mayor first attended in 1998, after declining to attend the previous year. David Miller continued the tradition during his tenure.
Lastman said he was uncomfortable at first, but ended up having a great time.
"You are representing all the people of this city, no matter who they are," Lastman told CTV Toronto on Thursday. "You should be there for them if you can possibly be there; at all times. That is your job."
The Toronto Pride Parade is the culmination of a 10-day-long event that is one of the city's largest tourist draws and generates nearly $100 million annually.
Toronto Pride events kick off on June 24 and proceed through until the parade on July 3. A ceremonial flag raising will be held at city hall on June 27. Ford has named Coun. Frances Nunziata as his representative at that event.
Since taking office, Ford has marched in a number of city parades, including the Toronto Santa Claus parade and the Beaches Easter parade.
Pride organizers say Ford's absence is a bad sign of what is to come. Toronto will host World Pride Day in 2014, and they are hoping the mayor will attend the international event.
