To the editor:
I am a 34-year-old student and single mother.
I was raised in Thunder Bay until the age of 19, when I moved to B.C. to finish high school. I eventually moved to Alberta to become a homeowner and have a career with my common law partner, who was employed in Alberta.
I returned to Thunder Bay four years ago after a struggle with addiction stemming from prescribed opiates for a surgery that led to other addictions in my mid-20s.
I state my background to show diversity politically, economically, socially and regionally throughout my past.
I believe Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was elected by average Joe people, middle class, hard-working families with values.
I believe Mr. Ford has values and goals specific for the benefit of his people.
We are all aware Toronto’s mayor struggles with alcoholism on some level – he can’t hold it and becomes out of control under the influence.
Mr. Ford has addressed this issue and apologized.
He is human.
The stress of being the mayor of a metropolitan city such as Toronto and trying to make a difference for the people obviously are stresses the mayor is using alcohol to cope with.
I am proud he has become honest regarding the crack incident.
It is embarrassing to a point, but is he any worse then the president who lied about receiving oral sex with an intern?
Or politicians who build decks and vacation on taxpayers’ money? Or politicians who bill the taxpayers for lavish lunches and extreme business meetings/expenditures?
Have Rob Ford’s political goals been converted to self-serving and negligent purposes?
He wasn’t smoking crack or drinking while on the job 9 to 5 Monday to Friday.
It is only because of technological devises such as phones, etc. these incidents were caught on film, most likely done so in a sneaky manner similar to entrapment without Mr. Ford’s knowledge.
Is he not entitled to freedom of association and to make mistakes (after work hours) like the hundreds of thousands of career and family oriented good citizens of Canada?
It is only because of his political spotlight that this issue blew up and was used to discredit Mr. Ford in the first place.
If he was an employee at the mall, or at a restaurant and partook in such unconventional and questionable behaviour would anyone care or hold him to quit his job? How many lawyers and prominent people have problems with alcohol or addictions. He is human.
I support the notion he get treatment to help himself be in control – as it’s obvious he isn’t under the influence of alcohol.
What kind of a society are we to judge and ridicule this man whose heart is in the best interest of the people the majority of the time.
Codes of professionalism have been broken for sure but in this day and age of corporate lawbreakers and thieving politicians, is this the end of the world?
Do we punish people for admission to faults or do we support and help people who have made the same mistakes the majority of people make themselves?
I am not making excuses nor am I trying to defend his reckless behaviour, but I am not going to chastise and ridicule him, nor will I do so to our wonderful country and its cities either.
Good luck to Rob Ford and I wish him success in his rehabilitation. He will most likely come out stronger and a better man-regardless of what happens to his political career – and he will learn his own lessons from this that will trump any public opinion.
Sarah Holmwood,
Thunder Bay
