Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has seemed less than eager to embrace the city's LGBT community including staying seated as almost everyone else gave a standing ovation to WorldPride organizers earlier this week.
Yesterday, Ford was the only councillor to vote against a request for a report on the feasibility of allocating 25 per cent of the beds in an existing youth shelter for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.
For months reporters have been asking Ford if he is homophobic and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam called Ford "homophobic" after the vote. But Ford says has a different reason for voting the way he did.
"I'm spendaphobic, that's what I am, I'm spendaphobic, I'm not homophobic," Ford said after the vote.
"I got spendaphobia, I got spendaphobia -- spending hard-earned tax dollars," Ford told reporters Friday. "People are concerned about their pocketbooks and the taxes that I've saved."
In November, a survey showed youth shelter beds were at about 80 per cent of capacity. Ford, along with his brother and campaign manager Coun. Doug Ford, argue that because the shelters are not full, a LGBT shelter is not needed.
"It doesn't matter if you are gay, straight, purple, pink, we'll have special youth shelter for every sector in here," said Coun. Ford to CP24. "It's a waste of money. We are spending $2.3 million on a specialized youth shelter, this is called segregation, this is not good."
Coun. Ford added, "So Rob's a spendaphobic, not a homophobic. Again, he's a spendophobic and all they know how to do is spend down here at city hall."
