David Price, a staffer and close family friend of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, is no longer employed by the mayor's office, CTV News has learned.
A source told CP24's Katie Simpson on Wednesday that Price cleaned out his desk last night. Price had held the position of Ford's director of operations and logistics and was reportedly paid $130,000 a year.
The Toronto Star has previously reported that after reports of a video of Ford smoking crack cocaine surfaced last May, Price asked then-chief of staff Mark Towhey what would happen if "hypothetically" he knew of where the video might be.
The news comes one day after a major staffing shake-up saw Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly take over responsibility for many of Ford’s staffers, as well as the executive powers that had been stripped from the embattled mayor.
Ford lost a total of 11 staff members Tuesday, including Policy Director Sheila Paxton and Chief of Staff Earl Provost, who are now working for Kelly.
Ford selected Dan Jacobs as his new chief of staff. Jacobs briefly spoke to reporters Wednesday morning.
"I came into an office and came in with a mayor that I felt, that at a grassroots level, was taking the time to respond to hundreds of emails and phone calls a day and really help people out on an individual basis," he said.
After a raucous council vote Monday, Kelly inherited some of Ford's key mayoral responsibilities, including his power to designate items for council debate and about 60 per cent of the mayor's office budget and staff.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the deputy mayor explained the “baton” had been handed over to him and he was dedicated to forging on with city business.
Kelly said he plans to continue with Ford's fiscally conservative agenda, but will seek to work co-operatively when debating issues with other councillors.
Also on Wednesday, lawyers representing several media outlets, including CTV News, are returning to court to argue for the release of more of the redacted information contained in a police application for a search warrant for Ford's acquaintance and occasional driver, Alexander Lisi. Lisi was arrested in October on drug-related charges, and was later charged with extortion.
Details that were previously made public in the police document outlined questionable behaviour from the mayor, including allegations of him doing drugs at a downtown bar, drinking and driving, and partying at city hall after hours.
None of the allegations have been proven in a court of law.
There has been increased media scrutiny at city hall in the past few weeks, which saw Ford admit that he had smoked crack cocaine since taking office, the release of a video in which Ford is seen cursing and making threats, and the mayor making sexually explicit comments on live TV.
Following Monday's council vote, which left Ford as little more than a figurehead, the mayor and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, have gone on a media blitz.
In an interview with CP24's Stephen Ledrew on Tuesday, the mayor said he has done crack "maybe once, I can't even remember." He had previously said he smoked crack, likely about a year ago and while in a "drunken stupor."
However, a newly released court document shows that the video of the mayor – now in the possession of Toronto police – was filmed in February of this year.
During Tuesday's interview, Ford called again for the release of the video.
"Let’s see this video once and for all please," he said. "They keep talking about a video, they’ve spent millions of dollars following me, but I haven’t been charged."
CTV's political analyst Scott Reid told Canada AM that the media blitz conducted by the Ford brothers is a "disaster," in which more inconsistencies about Ford's story comes to light.
With files from CP24's Katie Simpson and CTV Toronto's Nathalie Johnson
