Rob Ford was back at Toronto City Hall Friday afternoon just days before he returns to Mount Sinai Hospital to undergo a fourth round of chemotherapy — to sign the last of the bobble-head Rob Ford dolls that he has used to fundraise both for his truncated re-election campaign and for cancer research.
These ones were raising money for Mount Sinai and Humber River Regional Hospital, the two hospitals where Ford was and is being treated for a rare form of cancer.
"They’ve treated me phenomenally and when I was in my younger days Humber took good care of me," said Ford, on his way into his office to sign the dolls.
Ford repeated the prognosis that he was given earlier this month —that the cancer in abdominal fat has not grown, but it hasn’t shrunk either.
"According to them that’s good news, although it’s a bit of an oxymoron," said Ford.
"They said with the fast rate of growth this cancer has, it’s good that it hasn’t grown. And I’m feeling all right. I’m not myself. I’m still doing phone calls, still going out — taking care of constituents. I haven’t got my fire in my belly yet —it’s going to come back but it’s going to take awhile."
Ford said he hoped he would be able to attend the inaugural meeting of city council on Dec. 2 and take his seat as councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North.
He said he’s spoken with Mayor-elect John Tory twice, but hasn’t discussed what if any role he might have in the new administration.
"I’ll be doing my job," he said. "It’s up to John, if he wants to put me in opposition. I’ll be watching every dime that comes out of this place and making sure it goes back to him. I’ll be watching him just like I did with David Miller."
Ford sat in his front office for the afternoon, signing dolls for a few dozen people who came by to purchase the $30 collectibles. The lineup was notably smaller than earlier this year, when Ford began selling the dolls after council removed most of his powers due to his behaviour surrounding the crack scandal.