While Mayor Rob Ford’s office announced Monday that the embattled mayor will be participating in Sunday’s Santa Claus Parade, event co-chair Ron Barbaro said he was told Ford won’t be marching.
“He’s going to watch the parade with his kids and that’s fine, that’s his prerogative and I think that’s a good thing to do, so he won’t be walking in the parade,” Barbaro told CP24’s Stephanie Smyth.
But Barbaro said he wasn’t told where Ford would be watching the parade.
“That’s not one of my priorities,” he said.
Barbaro, who has been co-chair of the event since 1982, did say he was disappointed to learn the mayor won’t be marching in this year’s event.
“I kind of thought you know, you have the mayor of your city walking and waving at you, and like our celebrity clowns, and I thought it was pretty neat -- but that’s his choice.”
Last week, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor.” The week before, police Chief Bill Blair confirmed his officers had a video that appeared to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine.
But Barbaro emphasized that Ford has not been disinvited from the event.
Sunday’s Santa Clause parade starts at Christie Pitts at 12:30 p.m, and will run east along Bloor St. to University Ave. The parade will continue south to Wellington St., and will finish at Front and Jarvis Sts.
