Mayor Rob Ford says he uttered racist and homophobic slurs because he suffers from the disease of alcoholism. And he still has no plans to talk to the police.

In his first two interviews since returning from a two-month stint in rehabilitation for substance abuse, Ford said he “can’t even imagine” saying what he did about various minority groups in the city.

“When you have this disease, you say things, you do things, that aren’t you,” he told CBC. He added: “I think that goes along with having this disease.”

Ford did not specifically apologize to the people he insulted with the slurs “n----r,” “k--e,” “w-p,” “d-go,” “f-g,” and, allegedly, “P--i.” He offered a general apology, when pressed, in a subsequent interview on CP24.

“Everything I said while I was using — I offended a lot of people. And all I can do is apologize and say sorry. I cannot change the past. And I think that covers everyone you just mentioned,” he said.

Asked whether he will apologize to police Chief Bill Blair, whom he called a “c-------r” in an intoxicated rant caught on video in January, Ford said, “I’ve apologized to everybody.”

Ford, sombre, repeated the word “disease” even in discussing seemingly unrelated topics. Asked whether he will attend the gay Pride festival for the first time if he is re-elected, he said, “Again, I’m going to take one day at a time. That’s how you deal with this disease.”

Ford said he “absolutely” understands why residents might want the mayor to co-operate with a police investigation — but he insisted, as he has in the past, that he must heed his lawyer’s advice to remain silent.

“Regardless of my alcoholism, my substance abuse problem, this is handled through my lawyer, Dennis Morris,” he said. “I think anybody in my position would get legal advice.”

Mayoral candidate John Tory said Ford’s “continuing refusal to answer basic questions means that he is unfit to govern.”

After prodding from Tory, rival candidate Olivia Chow joined him for the first time in calling for Ford’s resignation. Councillor John Parker, a conservative who has endorsed candidate Karen Stintz, said Ford’s refusal to speak with police is “inconsistent with the job of being chief magistrate.”

Ford cancelled a third scheduled interview, with CTV. He avoided the media at city hall, where he was shielded from reporters by temporary barriers erected by security guards.

He told CP24 he has used “every drug that you can think of,” apart from heroin — though he appeared to acknowledge on CBC minutes prior that he had used heroin. He acknowledged he was smoking crack in his sister’s basement in April, shortly before he took his leave of absence.

He said he is not a crack addict. “When you’re an alcoholic, you can become any sort of substance abuse addict. You can be using cocaine. Anything goes.”

His substance abuse, he said, left him unable to “function day to day.”

“This disease is something I was born with, and I’m going to die with it. It’s an ongoing, long journey,” he said. “I’m not cured after 60 days.”

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Ford admitted he gave his keys to LeeAnne McRobb, the woman who was arrested for drunk driving with his Cadillac Escalade while he was in rehab in Muskoka. He would not describe his relationship with McRobb, referring all questions about her to the owner of the GreeneStone rehab facility.

Ford dodged a question on whether he would resign if he is shown to have returned to alcohol and drugs. All he knows, he said, is that he is currently sober.

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