It looks like the party’s over for Toronto mayor Rob Ford, at least in BC. Two months after his trip to the Lower Mainland, during which he was dealt a jaywalking ticket by Coquitlam RCMP and photos of an after-hours soirée surfaced on social media sites, the province’s liquor regulator has finally taken action on the latter.
The pictures, which flooded Twitter and Instagram in early February, show the mayor celebrating with a full house of locals at The Foggy Dew Pub well-after the 2 a.m. last call — and now the pub is being forced to foot the bill. Luckily for the proprietors, liquor regulators lacked sufficient evidence to suspend or fine The Foggy Dew, and the pub was let off with only two citations.
The latest scandal surrounding Ford comes amidst controversial changes to BC’s strict liquor laws. The new regulations, which are being implemented now through to the end of 2015, include the introduction of “happy hours,” liquor sales in grocery stores, and allowing children into pubs (although not after hours — sorry, Your Worship).
Despite being responsible for the flurry of media attention surrounding the incident, Ford was not mentioned in any official statements. Douglas Scott, assistant deputy minister of the BC Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, told CBC News that his organization doesn’t comment on specific patrons — which in this case seems a little unfair to Ford. During the night, there wasn’t a single incident of him incoherently slamming his political opponents, cussing in Jamaican Patois, or any mention of cunnilingus. Excellent behaviour like that could go a long way towards cleaning up his bad-boy reputation.
– Drew McLachlan