Mayor Rob Ford pushed and scuffled with fellow rehab residents and was so verbally abusive that he was kicked out of his group therapy program, according to people who have knowledge of his two month stay at GreeneStone .
These accounts of what one person referred to as “destructive behaviour” stands in stark contrast to Ford’s recent public statements that he had a healthy experience and takes his recovery seriously.
“Ford broke things, got into fights with other residents,” said one source with knowledge of the mayor’s time in rehab at the resort-turned-drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Muskoka.
“Ford stopped people from sharing their stories, which is key to a successful rehab experience,” said another source. “Other residents felt intimidated. They felt he was a bully. He was always saying he did not belong there.”
Management was concerned Ford continued to use drugs or alcohol during his time in rehab. The Star was unable to determine if Ford abused any substances during his two month stint.
GreeneStone’s wooded property has a well known “nature walk” and a concern of staff is that some residents meet their drug dealers or people providing alcohol at the far end of the walk.
Police were called at least once to deal with an incident at GreeneStone during Ford’s time. It’s not known if the police visit was related to Ford. The OPP, which patrols the area, said that any information about police calls to GreeneStone could only be obtained by making a freedom of information request, a process that takes months.
When Ford emerged from rehab he gave select interviews to media. One interview was with Newstalk 1010.
“I went and got professional, professional help at GreeneStone,” Ford told Newstalk 1010 host Jerry Agar last week. “I believe it’s the best one in the world. And they taught me exactly the problem it was with me.”
For this story, the Star has obtained accounts of Ford’s time in rehab from three people with knowledge of his time there, including a fellow patient, and from others, including a staffer, who provided accounts through an intermediary. Due to concerns over publicly breaching the confidentiality of the treatment facility, the sources asked that their names not be published.
Ford did not respond to a detailed letter requesting comment.
In an interview by email, Shawn Leon, president of GreeneStone Healthcare and a part owner, said he could not answer questions about Ford.
“With regards to Mayor Ford’s conduct and how it affected other residents at GreeneStone we simply cannot comment. We take patient care and confidentiality very seriously, and as such, cannot comment on our patients or their treatment.”
He would not talk about Ford, but in his email he said the program recognizes that “some individuals are not necessarily group ready.” Individual programs can be set up for those people, Leon said.
Leon explained his company follows the teachings of Harvard professor Dr. Kenneth Minkoff. Leon said GreeneStone has a “holistic and client-centred approach” that focuses on physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual needs.
Leon, who is also involved in real estate and is a member of the family that started the Leon Furniture chain, was acquitted in 1999 of cocaine trafficking, a case that began in 1991 with a charge in Canada of possessing eight kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. He was subsequently charged in the same case by American authorities in 1993 with trafficking five kilograms or more of cocaine. Both cases took years to move through court and Leon was acquitted of all charges by 1999. An American co-accused was convicted and died several years later in prison.
“I was falsely accused,” Leon said in an emailed statement to the Star. Leon said he has no personal history of substance abuse.
GreeneStone, according to people with knowledge of the program, is not as strict as some other rehab facilities, but residents are still encouraged to follow rules, waking early, eating breakfast with the group in a common area, attending one of two small group sessions of 8-10 people, lunch, one-on-one counselling, a large group session, then dinner and an early bed time. Residents (also called patients) live in resort-style cottages on the property.
Ford has said publicly he learned a lot from counsellors and his fellow patients at GreeneStone. In an interview with the Toronto Sun at the start of his time in rehab, Ford also said rehab is like “football camp.”
Just a few days into his time there, according to sources, addiction counsellors were shaking their heads.
“We are not paid enough to deal with this guy,” one counsellor remarked during a conversation with another counsellor.
“Rob Ford literally had the run of the place. There were no rules around Rob Ford,” said another source.
In the hallways and common areas, Ford argued, pushed and shoved other patients who were angry that Ford had “brought his circus with him,” sources said.
During the morning group sessions, where residents are encouraged to share their deepest secrets, Ford was abusive to other residents, shouting them down, refusing to listen, swearing constantly, sources told the Star.
By the halfway mark of the two months, his small therapy group had had enough and Ford was told to leave the small group. A private counsellor was asked to do one-on-one therapy with Ford.
The Star’s sources have said that Ford did not want to work out with other residents and Leon arranged for a personal coach to train Ford, working on his weight loss. Ford spent many hours in his private cottage watching television. He sometimes ate alone.
One person who was in rehab with Ford, and was kicked out for her behaviour, was LeeAnne McRobb , the woman who was later arrested for drunk driving after being pulled over in Ford’s Escalade.
In an interview, McRobb, 36, said she was kicked out for “bad choices,” including that she loaned her car to “someone” at the rehab facility.
McRobb confirmed that Ford did give her the keys to his Cadillac Escalade after they met in rehab. The mayor also confirmed this last week in an interview with CBC.
“He gave me the permission,” McRobb said, but would not say why the mayor lent her his car or how she got to Toronto to pick up the Escalade.
McRobb told the Star she picked up the Mayor’s black SUV from an auto body shop in Etobicoke. She said it was six days after Ford gave her the keys that she was arrested for impaired driving by the OPP just kilometres from GreeneStone. She is still facing those charges .
Kevin Donovan can be reached at 416-312-3503416-312-3503 or kdonovan@thestar.ca
@_kevindonovan
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