The City of Toronto’s freedom of information department is relying on the “honour system” to ensure that Mayor Rob Ford’s office releases all relevant records to the 29 media groups that have submitted requests, a city spokesperson says.

“It is the honour system; a lot of this is based on trust,” said Jackie DeSouza, director of strategic communication for the city.

Thousands of pages of emails and telephone records — Mayor Ford estimated 10,000 pages on his Sunday radio show — are scheduled to be released beginning Sept. 23.

An issue has arisen over emails, sent or received, that in the normal course of business are deleted. Those emails reside on the city’s server and can be restored, but DeSouza said it is up to the mayor’s staff to go looking for them.

Ford has not responded to interview requests on the issue, but on Sunday he slammed the media for requesting documents from his office “almost to a point of harassment.”

“For what? For what? What are they looking for? There’s nothing there,” the mayor said on his radio show during a chat with co-host Councillor Doug Ford, who then accused the Star and other media of “Pravda journalism.”

The Ford brothers said four staffers are unable to return constituent calls because they are working full-time on the requests. Doug Ford said they have worn out one printer and are going through ink cartridges “by the dozen.”

The Star and other media made similar requests for email and phone records related to the mayor, current and former staffers following the May 16 publication of articles in the Star and on the Gawker website describing a video that shows the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, slurring his words and looking impaired. Off-camera, an unknown voice goads Ford, who makes homophobic and racially charged statements.

Ford has said he cannot “comment on a video I have never seen or does not exist.”

On his two-hour radio show on Newstalk 1010 this Sunday, Mayor Ford complained extensively about what he termed “a complete waste of taxpayer money.” A minute before, Ford had said he is “fully committed as you know to running an open and transparent government.”

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, a piece of provincial legislation, came into force in 1990 with the intent of ensuring the public has access to the inner workings of the governments they pay for. The law’s first purpose, according to the legislation, follows the principle that “information should be available to the public.” The act includes exemptions that protect the privacy of individuals. City staff, once they see the records, determine what is public and what is private.

Among the records requested are emails and phone logs of officials, including former chief of staff Mark Towhey (fired), former communications officials George Christopolous and Isaac Ransom (resigned), Ford’s chief of logistics (status uncertain), former staffers Brian Johnston and Kia Nejatian (resigned), and current chief of staff Earl Provost.

The mayor’s office has been tardy in making documents available. It is about three months late in getting records to the city’s freedom of information office.

The city’s DeSouza said the mayor’s office has made an unknown number of requests for help from the clerk’s information and technology department to “pull deleted emails.” She said “we don’t know for sure” if all records at issue will be provided.

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However, DeSouza noted “they would be breaking the law if they do not provide the relevant records.”

Regarding staff who have departed, a current staffer is delegated by the mayor’s office to find and produce their records.