A policy advisor for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has resigned a day after the embattled mayor confessed he smoked crack cocaine.
Ford's office confirmed in an email to CTV News that Brooks Barnett is "no longer" with the mayor's office. No further details were provided, but sources tell CTV Barnett left on his own accord.
Barnett's departure comes a day after Ford announced that he smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" approximately one year ago.
Barnett, who has worked in Ford’s office since 2011, was named in a city staff report recently made public that revealed Ford had been “intoxicated” during an after-hours visit to city hall on St. Patrick’s Day 2012.
According to the document, Barnett, as well as other members of Ford’s staff, had been on site with Ford at city hall that night.
On his Sunday radio show on Newstalk 1010, Ford admitted that St. Patrick’s Day 2012 was "out of control," while also admitting to being “hammered” on the Danforth during a street festival this past August.
Then, in a press conference outside his office Tuesday afternoon, Ford told reporters that he had used crack in the past.
"Yes I have smoked crack cocaine. But I am not an addict," he said. "Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors."
Later in the afternoon, Ford read a prepared statement in which he "sincerely" apologized for his actions, but said he would not be resigning or stepping down.
“I love my job, I love this city, I love saving taxpayers’ money and I love being your mayor,” he told reporters at city hall Tuesday afternoon.
“For the sake of the taxpayers... we must get back to work immediately… I was elected to do a job and that’s exactly what I’m going to continue doing.”
Many of Ford's colleagues at city hall have called for his resignation since Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair announced last Thursday that police had recovered a previously deleted video in which the mayor appears to be smoking crack.
Last May, U.S. website Gawker and the Toronto Star published reports that a number of their employees had been shown a video in which Ford was seen smoking crack.
Immediately following the reports, Ford responded, saying he does not use crack cocaine and could not comment on a video that does not exist.
In the wake of the reports, several members of the mayor's staff were either fired or resigned from his office.
With files from CTV Toronto’s Natalie Johnson