HuffPost Canada closed in 2021 and this site is maintained as an online
archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our
FAQ or contact
support@huffpost.com.
rob ford crack video
When he was still in office, all of these criticisms were fair game. The man was an addict, and most progressives I know understand that addiction is a mental health issue and needs to be treated as such. Nonetheless, the man was in charge of our nation's largest metropolitan, and being an addict did not absolve him from the rightful criticism he received. But then he sought treatment. And then he was diagnosed with cancer. And then he died.
Chequebook journalism distracts from the core duty of reporting the news. Instead of publishing a story about the existence of the video, the Star's editors haggled over the price of possessing it. In an era of layoffs and demoralized newsrooms, paying cash to drug dealers is not in the public interest. We don't need more photos of Rob Ford with a crack pipe. We need money for gathering news.
If you're middle or lower class in Canada -- the very group of people Rob Ford has always professed to represent -- you can't just go to rehab when you want to go. If you can't afford private treatment, you have to get in line. You will likely spend months before your name makes it to the top of the list, and hopefully when your turn arrives you'll still be willing to go and will still be alive. I ended up getting fast-tracked to my government rehab after I overdosed while on the wait list. It's easy to give up when the pain is unbearable, even when help is just weeks away.
