TORONTO — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says police singled him out for a jaywalking ticket in British Columbia last weekend because of who he is.
Ford was in a Vancouver suburb, where he attended the funeral of a friend’s mother, when he received the $109 ticket late Friday.
Ford on Wednesday said 15 people were with him, but the officer “picked me out and said, ‘You’re Rob Ford, come with me.”’
Ford last year made international headlines when he admitted to having smoked crack cocaine while in a drunken stupor. He’s drawn attention for other erratic behavior, but he has resisted pressure to step down and is seeking re-election.
Ford said Toronto police don’t give jaywalking tickets, and he’s perplexed.
“Maybe I’ve broken the law a lot of times,” Ford said with a laugh. “Everybody jaywalks.”
Doug Ford, Rob’s brother and a city councilor, said his brother was “targeted.”
“If his name was John Smith, he wouldn’t have gotten that ticket,” Doug Ford said. “The police officer had to wait for her supervisor for a jaywalking ticket. They waited 20 minutes for her supervisor to come over for a jaywalking ticket. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman in British Columbia declined comment.
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