Rob Ford to skip 2012 Pride Parade

After refusing to say one way or another whether he would attend the 2012 Pride Parade yesterday, Rob Ford has now confirmed that he will once again skip the event, which takes place on July 1. The reason is the same as it was last year — the mayor plans instead to trek up to the family cottage in Muskoka. I doubt this'll come as a shock to anyone, but the big question that remains is whether he will participate in any of the other Pride-related events that lead up the main parade (his comments to reporters left a window open for this).

I'm not exactly sure what else there is to say about this matter that wasn't covered last year. Of the mayor's many failings in the leadership department, it would appear that he suffers from the most damning inability of all: he doesn't learn from his mistakes. One wonders if the decision will generate as much controversy as it did last year — but does it really matter? He should be at the parade. Full stop.

Photo by Martin Reis in the blogTO Flickr pool