TORONTO — The man set to become the next Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner has rescinded his resignation from the Toronto police force and will return to his old job.
Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray says Supt. Ron Taverner will return to his role as unit commander of three divisions in the city’s northwest end.
Gray says Taverner resigned on Saturday but Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders approved his return to the force late Sunday night.
The Ontario government said over the weekend that Taverner, a longtime friend of Premier Doug Ford, requested his appointment to the OPP’s top job be delayed amid controversy surrounding his hiring.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner’s hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
Blair’s lawyer says the ombudsman won’t investigate because he believes the matter is out of his jurisdiction since the hiring was ultimately a decision made by cabinet.
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Ron Taverner to return to old job with Toronto police amidst controversy over OPP commissioner role
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Ron Taverner staying with Toronto police despite appointment
Ron Taverner staying with Toronto police despite appointment as OPP chief — for now
Ron Taverner, who's tapped to be the next chief of Ontario Provincial Police, has rescinded his resignation papers as a superintendent with Toronto police.
It's not yet clear if Taverner's decision will affect his status as the incoming OPP commissioner. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Syliva Jones issued a statement saying the government maintains its "full confidence" in the longtime Toronto cop.
Taverner submitted papers to reverse his resignation on Saturday, Toronto police said. Chief Mark Saunders approved the move on Sunday night.
"As of today, the superintendent is back to being unit commander of our northwest district," said police spokesperson Meaghan Gray.
Taverner was controversially appointed by Ontario's Progressive Conservative government to become the next chief of the OPP in late November. Taverner is a 51-year veteran of Toronto police who leads the force's Etobicoke divisions.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
The Ontario NDP and the citizen advocacy group Democracy Watch have also called for investigations into the appointment.
Taverner had previously asked to have his appointment as provincial police commissioner postponed after Blair's call for an investigation. He was originally scheduled to be sworn in today.
Ford denies involvement
Taverner, who is is a friend of Premier Doug Ford, did not meet the original requirements for the job posting. The PC government said it lowered the job qualifications to attract a wider field of candidates.
Ford has repeatedly denied any involvement in Taverner's appointment, and said the decision was made by a hiring panel.
"The appointments for commissioner of the OPP have always been, as far as I can remember, clean as a whistle," said Ian Scott, a former director of the Special Investigations Unit, Ontario's police watchdog.
"There's definitely an odour around this one. It smacks and stinks, frankly, of cronyism," he told CBC Toronto.
Scott questioned the decision to lower the job qualifications in the midst of the hiring process, saying that Taverner does not appear to have the experience necessary for the job.
Given the controversy now swirling around the appointment, Scott said a Taverner-led OPP would be handcuffed when it comes to investigating political wrongdoing, which typically falls under OPP jurisrdiction.
Investigations against the Ontario Liberals, for example, would be seen as vindictive, while investigations into Ford's PCs would be seen as a coverup, he said.
"For the sake of policing in the province, he ought to decline [the job]," Scott added.
NDP repeats call for investigation
Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath, who has repeatedly criticized Taverner's appointment amid concerns about political interference, told reporters at Queen's Park she's "relieved" by Taverner's decision.
Horwath explained that a "flood of concern has been forming across Ontario" about Taverner's controversial appointment.
She also renewed calls for a non-partisan emergency select committee to conduct its own investigation into the matter.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.4948896
Ron Taverner, who's tapped to be the next chief of Ontario Provincial Police, has rescinded his resignation papers as a superintendent with Toronto police.
It's not yet clear if Taverner's decision will affect his status as the incoming OPP commissioner. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Syliva Jones issued a statement saying the government maintains its "full confidence" in the longtime Toronto cop.
Taverner submitted papers to reverse his resignation on Saturday, Toronto police said. Chief Mark Saunders approved the move on Sunday night.
"As of today, the superintendent is back to being unit commander of our northwest district," said police spokesperson Meaghan Gray.
Taverner was controversially appointed by Ontario's Progressive Conservative government to become the next chief of the OPP in late November. Taverner is a 51-year veteran of Toronto police who leads the force's Etobicoke divisions.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
The Ontario NDP and the citizen advocacy group Democracy Watch have also called for investigations into the appointment.
Taverner had previously asked to have his appointment as provincial police commissioner postponed after Blair's call for an investigation. He was originally scheduled to be sworn in today.
Ford denies involvement
Taverner, who is is a friend of Premier Doug Ford, did not meet the original requirements for the job posting. The PC government said it lowered the job qualifications to attract a wider field of candidates.
Ford has repeatedly denied any involvement in Taverner's appointment, and said the decision was made by a hiring panel.
"The appointments for commissioner of the OPP have always been, as far as I can remember, clean as a whistle," said Ian Scott, a former director of the Special Investigations Unit, Ontario's police watchdog.
"There's definitely an odour around this one. It smacks and stinks, frankly, of cronyism," he told CBC Toronto.
Scott questioned the decision to lower the job qualifications in the midst of the hiring process, saying that Taverner does not appear to have the experience necessary for the job.
Given the controversy now swirling around the appointment, Scott said a Taverner-led OPP would be handcuffed when it comes to investigating political wrongdoing, which typically falls under OPP jurisrdiction.
Investigations against the Ontario Liberals, for example, would be seen as vindictive, while investigations into Ford's PCs would be seen as a coverup, he said.
"For the sake of policing in the province, he ought to decline [the job]," Scott added.
NDP repeats call for investigation
Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath, who has repeatedly criticized Taverner's appointment amid concerns about political interference, told reporters at Queen's Park she's "relieved" by Taverner's decision.
Horwath explained that a "flood of concern has been forming across Ontario" about Taverner's controversial appointment.
She also renewed calls for a non-partisan emergency select committee to conduct its own investigation into the matter.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.4948896
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Ron Taverner Asks For Toronto Police Job Back As Watchdog Investigates His OPP Hiring
TORONTO — The man selected to become the next Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner has rescinded his resignation from the Toronto police force and will return to his old job.
Supt. Ron Taverner, a longtime friend of Premier Doug Ford, will return to his role as unit commander of three divisions in the city's northwest end, Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said Monday.
"He requested that this resignation be rescinded this weekend,'' Gray said. "It was reviewed and approved by the chief last night and he's back being unit commander of those divisions effective this morning.''
Taverner off the job for just 24 hours
Gray said Taverner, 72, had officially resigned Saturday.
"He was only absent 24 hours,'' Gray said.
The Ontario government said over the weekend that Taverner requested his appointment to the OPP's top job be delayed until an investigation into allegations of political interference in the hiring process was complete.
The choice of Taverner as the province's top cop has drawn ire from within the OPP and from Ford's political opponents, who noted that the qualifications required for the position had been lowered, allowing the premier's longtime ally to qualify.
The Progressive Conservatives have repeatedly denied that the premier's office had anything to do with Taverner's hiring.
Gray said she didn't know Taverner's long-term plans, but said he was back at work with the Toronto force.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
Blair's lawyer, Julian Falconer, said the ombudsman won't investigate because he believes the matter is out of his jurisdiction since the hiring was ultimately a decision made by cabinet.
Falconer said Blair will be replaced at the helm of the OPP by Gary Couture, who is currently the force's deputy commissioner.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/12/1 ... _23620441/
Supt. Ron Taverner, a longtime friend of Premier Doug Ford, will return to his role as unit commander of three divisions in the city's northwest end, Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said Monday.
"He requested that this resignation be rescinded this weekend,'' Gray said. "It was reviewed and approved by the chief last night and he's back being unit commander of those divisions effective this morning.''
Taverner off the job for just 24 hours
Gray said Taverner, 72, had officially resigned Saturday.
"He was only absent 24 hours,'' Gray said.
The Ontario government said over the weekend that Taverner requested his appointment to the OPP's top job be delayed until an investigation into allegations of political interference in the hiring process was complete.
The choice of Taverner as the province's top cop has drawn ire from within the OPP and from Ford's political opponents, who noted that the qualifications required for the position had been lowered, allowing the premier's longtime ally to qualify.
The Progressive Conservatives have repeatedly denied that the premier's office had anything to do with Taverner's hiring.
Gray said she didn't know Taverner's long-term plans, but said he was back at work with the Toronto force.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
Blair's lawyer, Julian Falconer, said the ombudsman won't investigate because he believes the matter is out of his jurisdiction since the hiring was ultimately a decision made by cabinet.
Falconer said Blair will be replaced at the helm of the OPP by Gary Couture, who is currently the force's deputy commissioner.
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/12/1 ... _23620441/
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Globe editorial: We need a full inquiry into the Ron Taverner affair
This weekend, the selection of Ontario’s top police officer tiptoed up to the edge of becoming a crisis, and instead took a step back into mere scandal. Lucky us.
The first helping of cold comfort in this troubling saga arrived on Saturday when Ron Taverner, the Toronto Police superintendent who is Premier Doug Ford’s close friend and the government’s choice to lead the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), asked that his appointment be put on hold until the integrity commissioner has investigated it.
You know things are bad when someone is asking for an ethics probe into his own hiring, and with Supt. Taverner and the OPP, things are well and truly bad. The brief fit of sanity represented by this recent postponement should not convince anyone that the matter is closed.
The trouble starts with the fact Supt. Taverner and the Premier are pals. They have breakfast together, hang out at the Ford family cottage, and once flew to Chicago to take in a hockey game. That alone makes the 72-year-old unfit to lead a shop that investigates allegations of wrongdoing in government, and must be able to do so independently. It shouldn’t need saying in a mature democracy, but the head of government cannot make his buddy chief of police.
Unfortunately, this scandal doesn’t end with Supt. Taverner and whatever job he holds. The process that led to his abortive selection still needs to be investigated. It stinks, and it risks undermining the independence of Canada’s second largest police force.
An impartial, properly empowered investigator could ask a lot of interesting questions about the Taverner affair:
Why were the job qualifications for OPP chief lowered two days after being posted, just enough to make room for Supt. Taverner? Was the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, involved in that decision? Was the Premier?
Why did Steve Orsini, the head of the Ontario’s public service and the province’s most senior bureaucrat, suddenly retire last Friday, only hours before Supt. Taverner’s appointment was put on hold? He was on the OPP hiring panel. Are the two events linked?
What should we make of a report that the Ford government was looking to give Supt. Taverner another senior job before they tapped him for the OPP? Or of the fact that recently hired Deputy Minister of Community Safety Mario Di Tommaso was both Supt. Taverner’s former boss and on the panel that interviewed candidates for the OPP job?
Why was Mr. Ford’s chief of staff involved in the hiring process, as OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair alleges, if Supt. Taverner was recommended to cabinet by an independent, arms-length panel, as the government insists?
And what of Deputy Commissioner Blair’s other serious allegations? He says that the decision to hire Supt. Taverner appears to have been made before the cabinet meeting that supposedly made the decision, and that the Premier’s chief of staff asked the OPP to procure a camper-type vehicle for the Premier, without putting the contract out to tender, and keeping the spending off the books and hidden from the public. If that’s true, it may be a criminal allegation.
We already know that a highly unusual process to replace the head of the OPP led to the selection of a 72-year-old mid-level Toronto cop who happens to be the Premier’s friend. Questions are natural. The government should welcome them. Because right now, it looks for all the world like the hiring process was gamed to give a Ford crony the province’s top law-enforcement job.
If that’s true – and there’s no proof it is – Mr. Ford would be guilty of trying to interfere with the independence of the provincial police. That’s the sort of thing politicians used to resign over. It’s in his interest to try and clear the air. The whiff of wrongdoing isn’t going away on its own.
More importantly, a proper investigation into this matter would serve the public. As Mr. Blair wrote in a letter to the provincial ombudsman, “If the hiring process remains enveloped in questions of political interference, the result will be irreparable damage to police independence.” No one wants to live in a province whose police force is suspected of being beholden to the government of the day.
A public inquiry is the answer. Appoint a retired judge with impeccably non-partisan credentials. Give him or her the power to compel witnesses and evidence. Let’s find out if the government tried to make the Premier’s friend the top cop. Right now, it sure looks like it.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... er-affair/
The first helping of cold comfort in this troubling saga arrived on Saturday when Ron Taverner, the Toronto Police superintendent who is Premier Doug Ford’s close friend and the government’s choice to lead the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), asked that his appointment be put on hold until the integrity commissioner has investigated it.
You know things are bad when someone is asking for an ethics probe into his own hiring, and with Supt. Taverner and the OPP, things are well and truly bad. The brief fit of sanity represented by this recent postponement should not convince anyone that the matter is closed.
The trouble starts with the fact Supt. Taverner and the Premier are pals. They have breakfast together, hang out at the Ford family cottage, and once flew to Chicago to take in a hockey game. That alone makes the 72-year-old unfit to lead a shop that investigates allegations of wrongdoing in government, and must be able to do so independently. It shouldn’t need saying in a mature democracy, but the head of government cannot make his buddy chief of police.
Unfortunately, this scandal doesn’t end with Supt. Taverner and whatever job he holds. The process that led to his abortive selection still needs to be investigated. It stinks, and it risks undermining the independence of Canada’s second largest police force.
An impartial, properly empowered investigator could ask a lot of interesting questions about the Taverner affair:
Why were the job qualifications for OPP chief lowered two days after being posted, just enough to make room for Supt. Taverner? Was the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, involved in that decision? Was the Premier?
Why did Steve Orsini, the head of the Ontario’s public service and the province’s most senior bureaucrat, suddenly retire last Friday, only hours before Supt. Taverner’s appointment was put on hold? He was on the OPP hiring panel. Are the two events linked?
What should we make of a report that the Ford government was looking to give Supt. Taverner another senior job before they tapped him for the OPP? Or of the fact that recently hired Deputy Minister of Community Safety Mario Di Tommaso was both Supt. Taverner’s former boss and on the panel that interviewed candidates for the OPP job?
Why was Mr. Ford’s chief of staff involved in the hiring process, as OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair alleges, if Supt. Taverner was recommended to cabinet by an independent, arms-length panel, as the government insists?
And what of Deputy Commissioner Blair’s other serious allegations? He says that the decision to hire Supt. Taverner appears to have been made before the cabinet meeting that supposedly made the decision, and that the Premier’s chief of staff asked the OPP to procure a camper-type vehicle for the Premier, without putting the contract out to tender, and keeping the spending off the books and hidden from the public. If that’s true, it may be a criminal allegation.
We already know that a highly unusual process to replace the head of the OPP led to the selection of a 72-year-old mid-level Toronto cop who happens to be the Premier’s friend. Questions are natural. The government should welcome them. Because right now, it looks for all the world like the hiring process was gamed to give a Ford crony the province’s top law-enforcement job.
If that’s true – and there’s no proof it is – Mr. Ford would be guilty of trying to interfere with the independence of the provincial police. That’s the sort of thing politicians used to resign over. It’s in his interest to try and clear the air. The whiff of wrongdoing isn’t going away on its own.
More importantly, a proper investigation into this matter would serve the public. As Mr. Blair wrote in a letter to the provincial ombudsman, “If the hiring process remains enveloped in questions of political interference, the result will be irreparable damage to police independence.” No one wants to live in a province whose police force is suspected of being beholden to the government of the day.
A public inquiry is the answer. Appoint a retired judge with impeccably non-partisan credentials. Give him or her the power to compel witnesses and evidence. Let’s find out if the government tried to make the Premier’s friend the top cop. Right now, it sure looks like it.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... er-affair/
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Integrity watchdog confirms probe into appointment of Ron Taverner as Ontario's top cop
Ontario's integrity commissioner confirmed Tuesday he is conducting an inquiry into the appointment of Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner as the next provincial police commissioner following a request by an NDP member about Premier Doug Ford.
David Wake said in an emailed news release that the inquiry is in response to the request by Kevin Yarde, MPP for Brampton North, about Ford. Wake said the inquiry will be conducted under the Members' Integrity Act, 1994.
Ford, speaking to reporters on Tuesday after visiting the new Amazon office in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, defended the Taverner appointment and said it will happen despite allegations of political interference.
Premier says appointment will move forward
"Ron Taverner is a great guy .... this guy has given his life to policing. Let the review take place. And I can tell you one thing, once the review gets done, he's going to be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen," Ford said.
"We look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP."
Taverner, a family friend of Ford, was set to start his new job on Monday, but he announced over the weekend that he would wait until the integrity commissioner completed his investigation.
On Monday, the 72-year-old returned to his previous job as superintendent of three Toronto police divisions.
Ford also defended Taverner, describing him as a "cop's cop" who looks after frontline officers. Ford said OPP officers have called him to express support for the appointment and they are "excited" about Taverner as commissioner.
"If you look at his credentials, speaks for itself. Fifty years in policing around the province," Ford said. "That is what is desperately needed at the OPP right now."
Taverner will continue police job until review's end
Ford said Taverner rescinded his resignation because waiting for the investigation to be completed would waste his time.
"He rescinded it because the review is taking place and he's not going to sit around for four to six weeks, or however long the review is going to take, doing nothing," the premier said.
Asked what he would do if the investigation finds a problem with the hiring, Ford said: "You're saying something that hasn't happened. What I want to do is get through the review. Let's get through the review and see what happens."
Opposition leader calls for public inquiry
Meanwhile, Ontario's Official Opposition is calling for a public inquiry into allegations of political interference in the appointment.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the integrity commissioner's investigation into the hiring can't only happen behind closed doors.
Horwath said two rarely used subsections of the Public Inquiries Act allow the integrity commissioner to launch a public inquiry — a power usually reserved for the premier and his cabinet.
"An investigation of this importance — an investigation that's critical to continued public confidence in the OPP — has to be an open, transparent process," Horwath said in a news release on Tuesday.
She said a full public inquiry would have "the power to summon witnesses, request documents, and ensure witnesses are protected from self-incrimination and discipline or retribution from their employer. A public inquiry can guarantee those things."
After naming Taverner as the new commissioner in late November, the Ford government admitted it lowered the requirements for the position to attract a wider range of candidates for the job.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.4950680
David Wake said in an emailed news release that the inquiry is in response to the request by Kevin Yarde, MPP for Brampton North, about Ford. Wake said the inquiry will be conducted under the Members' Integrity Act, 1994.
Ford, speaking to reporters on Tuesday after visiting the new Amazon office in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, defended the Taverner appointment and said it will happen despite allegations of political interference.
Premier says appointment will move forward
"Ron Taverner is a great guy .... this guy has given his life to policing. Let the review take place. And I can tell you one thing, once the review gets done, he's going to be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen," Ford said.
"We look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP."
Taverner, a family friend of Ford, was set to start his new job on Monday, but he announced over the weekend that he would wait until the integrity commissioner completed his investigation.
On Monday, the 72-year-old returned to his previous job as superintendent of three Toronto police divisions.
Ford also defended Taverner, describing him as a "cop's cop" who looks after frontline officers. Ford said OPP officers have called him to express support for the appointment and they are "excited" about Taverner as commissioner.
"If you look at his credentials, speaks for itself. Fifty years in policing around the province," Ford said. "That is what is desperately needed at the OPP right now."
Taverner will continue police job until review's end
Ford said Taverner rescinded his resignation because waiting for the investigation to be completed would waste his time.
"He rescinded it because the review is taking place and he's not going to sit around for four to six weeks, or however long the review is going to take, doing nothing," the premier said.
Asked what he would do if the investigation finds a problem with the hiring, Ford said: "You're saying something that hasn't happened. What I want to do is get through the review. Let's get through the review and see what happens."
Opposition leader calls for public inquiry
Meanwhile, Ontario's Official Opposition is calling for a public inquiry into allegations of political interference in the appointment.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the integrity commissioner's investigation into the hiring can't only happen behind closed doors.
Horwath said two rarely used subsections of the Public Inquiries Act allow the integrity commissioner to launch a public inquiry — a power usually reserved for the premier and his cabinet.
"An investigation of this importance — an investigation that's critical to continued public confidence in the OPP — has to be an open, transparent process," Horwath said in a news release on Tuesday.
She said a full public inquiry would have "the power to summon witnesses, request documents, and ensure witnesses are protected from self-incrimination and discipline or retribution from their employer. A public inquiry can guarantee those things."
After naming Taverner as the new commissioner in late November, the Ford government admitted it lowered the requirements for the position to attract a wider range of candidates for the job.
Former acting OPP commissioner Brad Blair has asked the courts to order Ontario ombudsman Paul Dube to investigate Taverner's hiring, after the ombudsman declined his request to carry out the probe.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.4950680
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Doug Ford blasts OPP deputy commissioner for Ron Taverner complaint
Premier Doug Ford is accusing Ontario Provincial Police Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair of violating the Police Services Act for complaining about Ron Taverner’s controversial appointment as the next OPP commissioner.
Rallying behind his embattled chum Taverner, Ford lashed out at Blair, who served as interim OPP commissioner until Saturday, for suggesting there was political interference in elevating a 72-year Toronto police superintendent to run the provincial force.
“There’s a lot of misinformation going out there,” the premier said Tuesday of Blair’s formal complaint to the Ontario ombudsman.
It was Ford’s first news conference since the Taverner debacle erupted again last week over concerns about potential conflicts of interest for an OPP boss who is a pal of the premier. The appointment is in limbo while Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake investigates whether Ford personally played a role in the hiring of Taverner, who has attended family barbecues and Ford Fest events.
“I could sit here and give you all the items that weren’t accurate in that letter and there’s endless ones. I could give you a list of all the Police (Services) Act that was broken throughout that whole letter, but none of you want to report on that,” Ford said, blasting the media for being “a little slanted” in its coverage.
The Police Services Act lists the duties of police officers and governs how police services operate in Ontario.
Blair’s letter alleged the premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP “to purchase a large camper-type vehicle ... modified to specifications the premier’s office would provide us” and keep the costs “off the books.”
But the premier called that “a baseless claim without merit” during an event at Amazon’s new Toronto offices.
“That’s just not accurate whatsoever. I asked if they had a used one,” admitted Ford.
He did not say why he needed the van or why his office allegedly wanted the costs of customizing the vehicle kept hidden.
“He never sat on the board,” the premier said, suggested Blair is a disgruntled also-ran for the commissioner’s post.
“I get it that he’s upset he didn’t win a fair process. I understand. Did he step over the line on a lot of things? I’m going to let the media decide that and I wish you would look into that,” he said.
“So what I’m going to do is take the high road and I’m going to let the review go through.”
In the meantime, Ford said, “We’re looking forward to Ron Taverner becoming the OPP commissioner. Let’s get through the (integrity commissioner’s) review and see what happens.”
He also praised Taverner as “a cop’s cop” and insisted OPP officers have been ringing his phone off the hook.
“My number’s public and I’ve never received more calls from front-line OPP officers ever, ever,” Ford said. “They are so excited about having Ron Taverner as their commissioner and too bad we couldn’t have a straight-up vote because Ron Taverner would win with 95 per cent of the front-line OPP officers.”
At Queen’s Park, New Democrats are keeping the pressure on over the Taverner appointment, calling for a full public inquiry.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is asking Wake to invoke rarely used powers under the Public Inquiries Act that are usually reserved for the premier and cabinet.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Horwath said in a statement Tuesday. “The investigation into Doug Ford’s interference in Ontario’s police force, and the attempt to install an insider as commissioner, can’t only happen behind closed doors.”
Wake’s review prompted Taverner to request on Saturday that the appointment be “postponed” until a final report is completed.
Questions were raised after qualification requirements were lowered during the application period, clearing the way for Taverner to submit his resume. On Monday, Taverner returned to his job at Toronto police heading divisions in northwest Toronto, including the Ford family stomping ground of Etobicoke.
Former commissioners of the RCMP and OPP, among others, have sounded the alarm over potential conflicts of interest if a friend of the premier heads the police force, particularly if the force has to investigate anything related to the government — as occurred several years ago in the scandal over a previous Liberal regime’s cancellation of two gas plants. Criminal charges and a conviction resulted.
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones rejected the NDP calls for a full public inquiry, saying Wake’s review will suffice.
“The investigation has begun ... I look forward to the report,” she told MPPs in the legislature’s daily question period.
“There was nothing wrong with the process and Ron Taverner is an excellent choice for OPP commissioner.”
Jones added she expects the integrity commissioner’s report to “reinforce why Ron Taverner is an excellent choice for OPP commissioner.”
Among others, Taverner was chosen over Blair and a former senior Mountie who headed the RCMP’s Ontario operations.
The NDP move came a day after Ford’s Progressive Conservative government rejected a motion to establish a select committee of MPPs to investigate the hiring.
That’s why a full public inquiry should be the next step, said Horwath, calling it “critical to continued public confidence in the OPP.
“An investigation of this importance ... has to be an open, transparent process.”
A full public inquiry would include powers to summon witnesses and request documents.
Taverner has not replied to interview requests from the Star.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provin ... -boss.html
Rallying behind his embattled chum Taverner, Ford lashed out at Blair, who served as interim OPP commissioner until Saturday, for suggesting there was political interference in elevating a 72-year Toronto police superintendent to run the provincial force.
“There’s a lot of misinformation going out there,” the premier said Tuesday of Blair’s formal complaint to the Ontario ombudsman.
It was Ford’s first news conference since the Taverner debacle erupted again last week over concerns about potential conflicts of interest for an OPP boss who is a pal of the premier. The appointment is in limbo while Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake investigates whether Ford personally played a role in the hiring of Taverner, who has attended family barbecues and Ford Fest events.
“I could sit here and give you all the items that weren’t accurate in that letter and there’s endless ones. I could give you a list of all the Police (Services) Act that was broken throughout that whole letter, but none of you want to report on that,” Ford said, blasting the media for being “a little slanted” in its coverage.
The Police Services Act lists the duties of police officers and governs how police services operate in Ontario.
Blair’s letter alleged the premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP “to purchase a large camper-type vehicle ... modified to specifications the premier’s office would provide us” and keep the costs “off the books.”
But the premier called that “a baseless claim without merit” during an event at Amazon’s new Toronto offices.
“That’s just not accurate whatsoever. I asked if they had a used one,” admitted Ford.
He did not say why he needed the van or why his office allegedly wanted the costs of customizing the vehicle kept hidden.
“He never sat on the board,” the premier said, suggested Blair is a disgruntled also-ran for the commissioner’s post.
“I get it that he’s upset he didn’t win a fair process. I understand. Did he step over the line on a lot of things? I’m going to let the media decide that and I wish you would look into that,” he said.
“So what I’m going to do is take the high road and I’m going to let the review go through.”
In the meantime, Ford said, “We’re looking forward to Ron Taverner becoming the OPP commissioner. Let’s get through the (integrity commissioner’s) review and see what happens.”
He also praised Taverner as “a cop’s cop” and insisted OPP officers have been ringing his phone off the hook.
“My number’s public and I’ve never received more calls from front-line OPP officers ever, ever,” Ford said. “They are so excited about having Ron Taverner as their commissioner and too bad we couldn’t have a straight-up vote because Ron Taverner would win with 95 per cent of the front-line OPP officers.”
At Queen’s Park, New Democrats are keeping the pressure on over the Taverner appointment, calling for a full public inquiry.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is asking Wake to invoke rarely used powers under the Public Inquiries Act that are usually reserved for the premier and cabinet.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Horwath said in a statement Tuesday. “The investigation into Doug Ford’s interference in Ontario’s police force, and the attempt to install an insider as commissioner, can’t only happen behind closed doors.”
Wake’s review prompted Taverner to request on Saturday that the appointment be “postponed” until a final report is completed.
Questions were raised after qualification requirements were lowered during the application period, clearing the way for Taverner to submit his resume. On Monday, Taverner returned to his job at Toronto police heading divisions in northwest Toronto, including the Ford family stomping ground of Etobicoke.
Former commissioners of the RCMP and OPP, among others, have sounded the alarm over potential conflicts of interest if a friend of the premier heads the police force, particularly if the force has to investigate anything related to the government — as occurred several years ago in the scandal over a previous Liberal regime’s cancellation of two gas plants. Criminal charges and a conviction resulted.
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones rejected the NDP calls for a full public inquiry, saying Wake’s review will suffice.
“The investigation has begun ... I look forward to the report,” she told MPPs in the legislature’s daily question period.
“There was nothing wrong with the process and Ron Taverner is an excellent choice for OPP commissioner.”
Jones added she expects the integrity commissioner’s report to “reinforce why Ron Taverner is an excellent choice for OPP commissioner.”
Among others, Taverner was chosen over Blair and a former senior Mountie who headed the RCMP’s Ontario operations.
The NDP move came a day after Ford’s Progressive Conservative government rejected a motion to establish a select committee of MPPs to investigate the hiring.
That’s why a full public inquiry should be the next step, said Horwath, calling it “critical to continued public confidence in the OPP.
“An investigation of this importance ... has to be an open, transparent process.”
A full public inquiry would include powers to summon witnesses and request documents.
Taverner has not replied to interview requests from the Star.
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Ron Taverner will take command of OPP: Premier Doug Ford
Ontario Integrity Commissioner David Wake has launched an official inquiry into what role Premier Doug Ford may have played in the appointment of Ron Taverner to the position of Ontario Provincial Police commissioner.
Taverner has already stepped aside and resumed his role as a superintendent at Toronto Police Services while the matter is reviewed.
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones said Taverner was the unanimous choice of an independent hiring process, but she will wait for the independent Integrity Commission’s report.
“I am confident that at the end of the day we will have Ron Taverner as the OPP commissioner,” she said.
“But I am not in any way presupposing what the report will find.”
In a statement Tuesday, Wake said his inquiry was in response to a request from NDP MPP Kevin Yarde, and will be conducted under section 31 of the Members Integrity Act, which empowers the commissioner to take this action after giving the subject “reasonable notice.”
Taverner’s appointment to the top job has been under a cloud since it was revealed that the Ford family friend was eligible to apply only after the job requirements were suddenly changed.
The Ford government has defended the appointment, calling Taverner as a seasoned police officer with the respect of frontline officers.
Ford says the hiring of a family friend as the province’s top cop will move forward despite allegations of political interference in the process and that Taverner will become the head of the OPP after the integrity commissioner wraps an investigation into his appointment.
NDP MPP John Vantof said the official opposition want the Integrity Commissioner to hold a public inquiry given the seriousness of the issue and “the smell that surrounds it.”
The changing of qualifications after the job had been posted raised the possibility that the Premier had become involved in the hiring process, he said.
“And there’s nothing more important in a democratic system than the separation between political and the police,” Vanthof said. “Because at some point the police might have to investigate the political and people have to have confidence… in the OPP.”
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the integrity commissioner’s ongoing investigation into the hiring of Taverner can’t only happen behind closed doors.
https://ottawasun.com/news/provincial/n ... 937627b791
Taverner has already stepped aside and resumed his role as a superintendent at Toronto Police Services while the matter is reviewed.
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones said Taverner was the unanimous choice of an independent hiring process, but she will wait for the independent Integrity Commission’s report.
“I am confident that at the end of the day we will have Ron Taverner as the OPP commissioner,” she said.
“But I am not in any way presupposing what the report will find.”
In a statement Tuesday, Wake said his inquiry was in response to a request from NDP MPP Kevin Yarde, and will be conducted under section 31 of the Members Integrity Act, which empowers the commissioner to take this action after giving the subject “reasonable notice.”
Taverner’s appointment to the top job has been under a cloud since it was revealed that the Ford family friend was eligible to apply only after the job requirements were suddenly changed.
The Ford government has defended the appointment, calling Taverner as a seasoned police officer with the respect of frontline officers.
Ford says the hiring of a family friend as the province’s top cop will move forward despite allegations of political interference in the process and that Taverner will become the head of the OPP after the integrity commissioner wraps an investigation into his appointment.
NDP MPP John Vantof said the official opposition want the Integrity Commissioner to hold a public inquiry given the seriousness of the issue and “the smell that surrounds it.”
The changing of qualifications after the job had been posted raised the possibility that the Premier had become involved in the hiring process, he said.
“And there’s nothing more important in a democratic system than the separation between political and the police,” Vanthof said. “Because at some point the police might have to investigate the political and people have to have confidence… in the OPP.”
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the integrity commissioner’s ongoing investigation into the hiring of Taverner can’t only happen behind closed doors.
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Ron Taverner will take command of OPP: Premier Doug Ford
TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the hiring of a family friend as the province's top cop will move forward despite allegations of political interference in the process.
Ford says Ron Taverner will become the head of the Ontario Provincial Police after the integrity commissioner wraps an investigation into his appointment.
Taverner, a veteran Toronto police officer, was set to start in his new job on Monday but announced over the weekend that he would wait until the probe into his hiring was complete.
Ford said he believes that review will take four to six weeks and praised Taverner for delaying his move into the role.
Meanwhile, Ontario's official Opposition is calling for a public inquiry into Taverner's appointment.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the integrity commissioner's ongoing investigation into the hiring of Taverner can't only happen behind closed doors.
https://www.cp24.com/news/ron-taverner- ... -1.4222606
Ford says Ron Taverner will become the head of the Ontario Provincial Police after the integrity commissioner wraps an investigation into his appointment.
Taverner, a veteran Toronto police officer, was set to start in his new job on Monday but announced over the weekend that he would wait until the probe into his hiring was complete.
Ford said he believes that review will take four to six weeks and praised Taverner for delaying his move into the role.
Meanwhile, Ontario's official Opposition is calling for a public inquiry into Taverner's appointment.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the integrity commissioner's ongoing investigation into the hiring of Taverner can't only happen behind closed doors.
https://www.cp24.com/news/ron-taverner- ... -1.4222606
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Doug Ford defends friend's appointment as OPP commissioner despite probe
TORONTO - Doug Ford defended Tuesday the appointment of a family friend as Ontario's police commissioner, despite an ongoing investigation into the premier's role in the hiring process.
Ron Taverner, a 72-year-old superintendent with the Toronto police, did not initially qualify for the job, but the government has said it lowered the requirements to attract a wider range of candidates.
Now, the province's integrity commissioner is investigating an Opposition complaint that Ford violated the Members' Integrity Act by participating in the cabinet decision to appoint Taverner, a longtime friend of the premier's family.
"You know my friends, this is going to move forward," Ford told reporters after attending the opening of an Amazon office in Toronto. "Let the review take place, and I can tell you one thing, once it gets done, he will be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen."
Taverner was set to start his new job on Monday, but over the weekend he announced that he would wait until the integrity commissioner's probe was complete. In the meantime, Taverner has returned to his previous job with the city police.
His appointment as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after the forces' acting commissioner, Brad Blair, alleged political interference from the premier's office.
In a nine-page letter, Blair called on the provincial ombudsman to investigate Taverner's appointment, alleging the premier's chief of staff, Dean French, had asked the OPP to purchase a "larger camper type vehicle'' and have it modified to the specifications of the premier's office.
Blair, who is now deputy commissioner, further alleged the chief of staff then provided specifications to an unnamed OPP staff sergeant and asked that the costs associated with the vehicle be "kept off the books.''
Ford, who has acknowledged that he did not recuse himself from the cabinet decision to approve Taverner's hiring, said Tuesday that some of the allegations made by Blair were false, including the request for a new vehicle.
"That's just a baseless claim without merits," he said. "It's not accurate ... I asked for a used one."
A lawyer for Blair, who wants the courts to order the ombudsman to investigate Taverner's appointment, said Ford's comments Tuesday were "personal shots" at his client.
"No amount of intimidation or insult will deter the deputy commissioner from seeking a full airing of these issues," Julian Falconer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called for a public inquiry into Taverner's appointment, saying the integrity commissioner should expand the probe into a full public inquiry.
Horwath said two rarely used subsections of the Public Inquiries Act allow the integrity commissioner to launch a public inquiry — a power usually reserved for the premier and his cabinet. That power would allow for a wider look at the allegations of political interference surrounding Taverner's hiring, not just Ford's participation in the cabinet decision.
"An investigation of this importance...has to be an open, transparent process," she said. "That's why I'm urging the integrity commissioner to call a full public inquiry with the power to summon witnesses, request documents, and ensure witnesses are protected from self-incrimination and discipline or retribution from their employer."
Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said even with Ford's endorsement, it will be difficult for Taverner to eventually assume the OPP commissioner's role.
"The premier saying he has confidence doesn't instill confidence in the people of Ontario," he said. "This is actually about the perception of conflict. That perception exists and is likely to still exist after there's an integrity commissioner's (investigation)."
https://www.cp24.com/news/ron-taverner- ... -1.4222606
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/ ... af654.html
Ron Taverner, a 72-year-old superintendent with the Toronto police, did not initially qualify for the job, but the government has said it lowered the requirements to attract a wider range of candidates.
Now, the province's integrity commissioner is investigating an Opposition complaint that Ford violated the Members' Integrity Act by participating in the cabinet decision to appoint Taverner, a longtime friend of the premier's family.
"You know my friends, this is going to move forward," Ford told reporters after attending the opening of an Amazon office in Toronto. "Let the review take place, and I can tell you one thing, once it gets done, he will be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen."
Taverner was set to start his new job on Monday, but over the weekend he announced that he would wait until the integrity commissioner's probe was complete. In the meantime, Taverner has returned to his previous job with the city police.
His appointment as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after the forces' acting commissioner, Brad Blair, alleged political interference from the premier's office.
In a nine-page letter, Blair called on the provincial ombudsman to investigate Taverner's appointment, alleging the premier's chief of staff, Dean French, had asked the OPP to purchase a "larger camper type vehicle'' and have it modified to the specifications of the premier's office.
Blair, who is now deputy commissioner, further alleged the chief of staff then provided specifications to an unnamed OPP staff sergeant and asked that the costs associated with the vehicle be "kept off the books.''
Ford, who has acknowledged that he did not recuse himself from the cabinet decision to approve Taverner's hiring, said Tuesday that some of the allegations made by Blair were false, including the request for a new vehicle.
"That's just a baseless claim without merits," he said. "It's not accurate ... I asked for a used one."
A lawyer for Blair, who wants the courts to order the ombudsman to investigate Taverner's appointment, said Ford's comments Tuesday were "personal shots" at his client.
"No amount of intimidation or insult will deter the deputy commissioner from seeking a full airing of these issues," Julian Falconer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called for a public inquiry into Taverner's appointment, saying the integrity commissioner should expand the probe into a full public inquiry.
Horwath said two rarely used subsections of the Public Inquiries Act allow the integrity commissioner to launch a public inquiry — a power usually reserved for the premier and his cabinet. That power would allow for a wider look at the allegations of political interference surrounding Taverner's hiring, not just Ford's participation in the cabinet decision.
"An investigation of this importance...has to be an open, transparent process," she said. "That's why I'm urging the integrity commissioner to call a full public inquiry with the power to summon witnesses, request documents, and ensure witnesses are protected from self-incrimination and discipline or retribution from their employer."
Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said even with Ford's endorsement, it will be difficult for Taverner to eventually assume the OPP commissioner's role.
"The premier saying he has confidence doesn't instill confidence in the people of Ontario," he said. "This is actually about the perception of conflict. That perception exists and is likely to still exist after there's an integrity commissioner's (investigation)."
https://www.cp24.com/news/ron-taverner- ... -1.4222606
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/ ... af654.html
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Ford backs Taverner as OPP head, takes aim at deputy
Premier Doug Ford declared Tuesday that his family friend Ron Taverner will be the “best commissioner the OPP has ever seen” even as a review of the appointment gets under way.
At the same time, Mr. Ford took aim at the senior OPP officer who has publicly challenged Mr. Taverner’s appointment, alleging without providing evidence that Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair violated the Police Services Act.
Amid allegations of political interference in the appointment, Mr. Ford told reporters he last spoke with Toronto Police Superintendent Taverner “probably last week,” and defended his government’s decision to name the 72-year-old mid-level commander to the post last month.
Supt. Taverner, who was to start the job on Monday, put his swearing-in on hold and asked for his resignation from the Toronto force to be rescinded until the Integrity Commissioner’s review of whether Mr. Ford had a conflict in the matter is complete.
“We look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP,” Mr. Ford said on Tuesday. “This guy’s given his life to policing. Let the review take place and I can tell you one thing, once it gets done, he will be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen.”
Toronto Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that any member who has left the service and wants to be hired can apply in writing to the police chief. When asked why Toronto police chief Mark Saunders approved the request, Ms. Gray said she would not have another chance to speak with him on Tuesday. “I’m not certain there’s a more elaborate answer other than it’s his prerogative to do so,” she said.
Mr. Ford said he gives Supt. Taverner credit for delaying his appointment. Supt. Taverner, a 51-year veteran of Toronto police, returned on Monday to his job as a unit commander of three divisions in the city’s northwest. “He’s not going to sit around for four to six weeks or how ever long a review is going to take, doing nothing,” Mr. Ford said.
Mr. Ford also made his first public comments on Tuesday about a bid by OPP Deputy Commissioner Blair, who had also sought the commissioner’s job, to get the provincial Ombudsman to investigate the appointment process. The Premier accused the high-ranking officer of breaking the Police Services Act when he publicly complained about Supt. Taverner’s appointment in a letter to the Ombudsman.
“I could give you a list of all the police act [provisions] that [were] broken throughout that whole letter, but none of you want to report on that,” Mr. Ford said. “I’m going to take the high road and I’m going to let the review go through.”
Mr. Ford’s office did not immediately elaborate on which sections of the act he meant.
Last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair released the letter, which asked Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé to delay and review Supt. Taverner’s appointment. Two days later, Deputy Commissioner Blair filed a legal application in Superior Court after he said the Ombudsman’s office refused his request, saying it was not within its mandate.
Deputy Commissioner Blair, who was until Monday the interim leader of the OPP, argues in his legal application that the Ombudsman has a duty to review any potential “inappropriate political interference or cronyism” that could have factored into the government’s decision to hire Supt. Taverner. Deputy Commissioner Blair’s lawyer said the Ombudsman has a much broader purview and powers to probe the matter than the Integrity Commissioner, who is looking into whether Mr. Ford was in a conflict of interest in the OPP matter.
In the letter released last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair alleges Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP to buy a “large camper type vehicle” and have it modified to specifications from the Premier’s office, and that it be kept “off the books.”
Mr. Ford said on Tuesday the allegations are false. “That’s just a baseless claim without merit. It’s just not accurate whatsoever,” he said.
“I asked … if they had a used one,” he said, without explaining why he would need a used van.
Mr. Ford also suggested Deputy Commissioner Blair was unhappy about being passed over for the top job, and accused him of submitting his retirement papers and then pulling them back. However, after the officer’s lawyer called it a falsehood, the Premier’s office later said Mr. Ford misspoke.
“I get it that he’s upset that he didn’t win a fair process. I understand. Did he step over the line on a lot of things? I’m going to let the media decide that and I wish you would look into that,” Mr. Ford said.
Deputy Commissioner Blair’s lawyer said his client never tried to retire and accused the Premier of trying to intimidate him.
“A simple inquiry of the OPP would bear out that Deputy Commissioner Blair has never, and I repeat never, submitted retirement papers. This is simply a falsehood," Julian Falconer said in a statement.
"As for the personal shots by the Premier, no amount of intimidation or insult will deter the Deputy Commissioner from seeking a full airing of these issues.”
Mr. Ford’s defence of the appointment came as NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked the Integrity Commissioner to trigger a rarely used power to launch a public inquiry.
“The investigation into Doug Ford’s interference in Ontario’s police force, and the attempt to install an insider as commissioner, can’t only happen behind closed doors,” she said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Integrity Commissioner David Wake said the office would not make any public comments, but a report will be filed with the Speaker of the Legislature and online.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/ ... er-as-opp/
At the same time, Mr. Ford took aim at the senior OPP officer who has publicly challenged Mr. Taverner’s appointment, alleging without providing evidence that Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair violated the Police Services Act.
Amid allegations of political interference in the appointment, Mr. Ford told reporters he last spoke with Toronto Police Superintendent Taverner “probably last week,” and defended his government’s decision to name the 72-year-old mid-level commander to the post last month.
Supt. Taverner, who was to start the job on Monday, put his swearing-in on hold and asked for his resignation from the Toronto force to be rescinded until the Integrity Commissioner’s review of whether Mr. Ford had a conflict in the matter is complete.
“We look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP,” Mr. Ford said on Tuesday. “This guy’s given his life to policing. Let the review take place and I can tell you one thing, once it gets done, he will be the best commissioner the OPP has ever seen.”
Toronto Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that any member who has left the service and wants to be hired can apply in writing to the police chief. When asked why Toronto police chief Mark Saunders approved the request, Ms. Gray said she would not have another chance to speak with him on Tuesday. “I’m not certain there’s a more elaborate answer other than it’s his prerogative to do so,” she said.
Mr. Ford said he gives Supt. Taverner credit for delaying his appointment. Supt. Taverner, a 51-year veteran of Toronto police, returned on Monday to his job as a unit commander of three divisions in the city’s northwest. “He’s not going to sit around for four to six weeks or how ever long a review is going to take, doing nothing,” Mr. Ford said.
Mr. Ford also made his first public comments on Tuesday about a bid by OPP Deputy Commissioner Blair, who had also sought the commissioner’s job, to get the provincial Ombudsman to investigate the appointment process. The Premier accused the high-ranking officer of breaking the Police Services Act when he publicly complained about Supt. Taverner’s appointment in a letter to the Ombudsman.
“I could give you a list of all the police act [provisions] that [were] broken throughout that whole letter, but none of you want to report on that,” Mr. Ford said. “I’m going to take the high road and I’m going to let the review go through.”
Mr. Ford’s office did not immediately elaborate on which sections of the act he meant.
Last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair released the letter, which asked Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé to delay and review Supt. Taverner’s appointment. Two days later, Deputy Commissioner Blair filed a legal application in Superior Court after he said the Ombudsman’s office refused his request, saying it was not within its mandate.
Deputy Commissioner Blair, who was until Monday the interim leader of the OPP, argues in his legal application that the Ombudsman has a duty to review any potential “inappropriate political interference or cronyism” that could have factored into the government’s decision to hire Supt. Taverner. Deputy Commissioner Blair’s lawyer said the Ombudsman has a much broader purview and powers to probe the matter than the Integrity Commissioner, who is looking into whether Mr. Ford was in a conflict of interest in the OPP matter.
In the letter released last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair alleges Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP to buy a “large camper type vehicle” and have it modified to specifications from the Premier’s office, and that it be kept “off the books.”
Mr. Ford said on Tuesday the allegations are false. “That’s just a baseless claim without merit. It’s just not accurate whatsoever,” he said.
“I asked … if they had a used one,” he said, without explaining why he would need a used van.
Mr. Ford also suggested Deputy Commissioner Blair was unhappy about being passed over for the top job, and accused him of submitting his retirement papers and then pulling them back. However, after the officer’s lawyer called it a falsehood, the Premier’s office later said Mr. Ford misspoke.
“I get it that he’s upset that he didn’t win a fair process. I understand. Did he step over the line on a lot of things? I’m going to let the media decide that and I wish you would look into that,” Mr. Ford said.
Deputy Commissioner Blair’s lawyer said his client never tried to retire and accused the Premier of trying to intimidate him.
“A simple inquiry of the OPP would bear out that Deputy Commissioner Blair has never, and I repeat never, submitted retirement papers. This is simply a falsehood," Julian Falconer said in a statement.
"As for the personal shots by the Premier, no amount of intimidation or insult will deter the Deputy Commissioner from seeking a full airing of these issues.”
Mr. Ford’s defence of the appointment came as NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked the Integrity Commissioner to trigger a rarely used power to launch a public inquiry.
“The investigation into Doug Ford’s interference in Ontario’s police force, and the attempt to install an insider as commissioner, can’t only happen behind closed doors,” she said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Integrity Commissioner David Wake said the office would not make any public comments, but a report will be filed with the Speaker of the Legislature and online.
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Ford, Taverner, Saunders met for dinner months before OPP appointment
Premier Doug Ford had a private dinner with Toronto Police Superintendent Ron Taverner and Police Chief Mark Saunders four months before Taverner was appointed OPP commissioner, according to Ford’s schedule.
The private calendar maintained by the Premier’s Office shows the three men sat down at Posticino, a high-end Italian restaurant in Etobicoke, for 90 minutes on July 30th.
The meeting came five days after Ford sat down with then-OPP commissioner Vince Hawkes, who announced his retirement in early September.
Ford’s schedule, which is not released to the public, was obtained by the NDP through a freedom-of-information request and distributed to the media. Neither the Premier’s Office nor the Toronto PoliceServicehave responded to questions regarding the purpose of the dinner or whether anyone else was present at the time.
Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, says the dinner doesn’t “in any way” leave her with concerns because the premier constantly attends meetings.
“The premier meets with literally hundreds of people in the course of a week.” Jones told reporters. “Where he meets and who he meets is something that is very open to public scrutiny.”
The portion of the schedule released to the media from July 25th until the 30th shows a range of public events attended by Ford as well as phone calls made to U.S. governors.
Other than civil servants and Premier’s office staff, the only official meetings scheduled during that period were with Hawkes, Taverner, Saunders and Mike McCormick, President of the Toronto Police Association.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath questions why Ford dined with Taverner five days after meeting with Hawkes and whether the Premier was aware of Hawkes’s intention to retire.
“Was the issue discussed that there would be a vacancy at the OPP commissioner’s level?” Horwath asked “These are questions that Mr. Ford should answer.”
The dinner adds another layer of questions to an appointment that is already shrouded in controversy.
Ontario’s integrity commissioner David Wake has launched an inquiry into whether the premier broke any conflict rules by appointing an old family friend to the post and the official opposition is calling for a public inquiry into the matter.
On Saturday,Taverner asked to have his appointment to the force delayed until after the integrity commissioner is finished with his investigation.
One day later,Taverner rescinded his resignation from Toronto police, which Saunders accepted,allowing Taverner to resume his old job as superintendent.
Ford has denied any interference in the interview or appointment process.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-taverne ... -1.4224763
The private calendar maintained by the Premier’s Office shows the three men sat down at Posticino, a high-end Italian restaurant in Etobicoke, for 90 minutes on July 30th.
The meeting came five days after Ford sat down with then-OPP commissioner Vince Hawkes, who announced his retirement in early September.
Ford’s schedule, which is not released to the public, was obtained by the NDP through a freedom-of-information request and distributed to the media. Neither the Premier’s Office nor the Toronto PoliceServicehave responded to questions regarding the purpose of the dinner or whether anyone else was present at the time.
Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, says the dinner doesn’t “in any way” leave her with concerns because the premier constantly attends meetings.
“The premier meets with literally hundreds of people in the course of a week.” Jones told reporters. “Where he meets and who he meets is something that is very open to public scrutiny.”
The portion of the schedule released to the media from July 25th until the 30th shows a range of public events attended by Ford as well as phone calls made to U.S. governors.
Other than civil servants and Premier’s office staff, the only official meetings scheduled during that period were with Hawkes, Taverner, Saunders and Mike McCormick, President of the Toronto Police Association.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath questions why Ford dined with Taverner five days after meeting with Hawkes and whether the Premier was aware of Hawkes’s intention to retire.
“Was the issue discussed that there would be a vacancy at the OPP commissioner’s level?” Horwath asked “These are questions that Mr. Ford should answer.”
The dinner adds another layer of questions to an appointment that is already shrouded in controversy.
Ontario’s integrity commissioner David Wake has launched an inquiry into whether the premier broke any conflict rules by appointing an old family friend to the post and the official opposition is calling for a public inquiry into the matter.
On Saturday,Taverner asked to have his appointment to the force delayed until after the integrity commissioner is finished with his investigation.
One day later,Taverner rescinded his resignation from Toronto police, which Saunders accepted,allowing Taverner to resume his old job as superintendent.
Ford has denied any interference in the interview or appointment process.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-taverne ... -1.4224763
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Mulroney says government will follow Integrity Commissioner’s recommendations on Taverner
Ontario Attorney-General Caroline Mulroney says her government will abide by any recommendations made in an investigation into the appointment of Premier Doug Ford’s friend, Ron Taverner, as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner.
The province’s Integrity Commissioner is probing whether Mr. Ford was in a conflict of interest when his government named Toronto Police Superintendent Taverner, a 72-year-old mid-level commander, to the post last month.
On Wednesday, Ms. Mulroney said her government respects Integrity Commissioner David Wake’s work and awaits the results of the review. The Integrity Commissioner’s office has not said when a final report will be issued.
“We will of course abide by the recommendations of the Integrity Commissioner,” Ms. Mulroney told reporters at Queen’s Park. “We will respect the outcome of his investigation.”
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones, however, wouldn’t commit to following Mr. Wake’s recommendations. “I’m not going to presuppose anything that happens,” she said.
The opposition parties have been calling for a public inquiry into the matter, after a high-ranking OPP officer publicly released a letter last week alleging political interference in the appointment.
Ms. Mulroney suggested a public inquiry is not necessary as the Integrity Commissioner reviews the matter. “The Integrity Commissioner is doing the work that is required, looking into the process. If it’s his determination that a public inquiry is necessary, those are recommendations that we will look forward to receiving,” Ms. Mulroney said.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has asked the Integrity Commissioner to trigger a rarely used power to launch a public inquiry into allegations of political interference by Mr. Ford and his office. Mr. Wake’s office on Wednesday had no comment on the matter.
“What we need to do is get to the bottom of this,” Ms. Horwath said on Wednesday. “This is the only way the people of Ontario will get the truth.”
Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said Ms. Mulroney should appoint a retired judge to probe the matter publicly, who he said would have a broader scope than the Integrity Commissioner.
“Mr. Taverner will not be able to take this job until the air is cleared. Because it will be a very, very difficult job for him to do, because there will always be a perception of conflict,” Mr. Fraser said.
Supt. Taverner, who was to start the job on Monday, put his swearing-in on hold and asked for his resignation from the Toronto force to be rescinded until the Integrity Commissioner’s review is complete.
Mr. Ford, who was not in the legislature to answer questions on Wednesday, told reporters this week that Supt. Taverner will be the "best commissioner the OPP has ever seen,” and took aim at Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, the senior OPP officer who has publicly challenged Supt. Taverner’s appointment.
In a letter released publicly last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair alleged that Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP to modify a camper van for Mr. Ford and keep it “off the books."
Mr. Ford called it a “baseless claim” and Ms. Jones said Wednesday the insinuation of keeping a van off the books is “completely false.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/ ... issioners/
The province’s Integrity Commissioner is probing whether Mr. Ford was in a conflict of interest when his government named Toronto Police Superintendent Taverner, a 72-year-old mid-level commander, to the post last month.
On Wednesday, Ms. Mulroney said her government respects Integrity Commissioner David Wake’s work and awaits the results of the review. The Integrity Commissioner’s office has not said when a final report will be issued.
“We will of course abide by the recommendations of the Integrity Commissioner,” Ms. Mulroney told reporters at Queen’s Park. “We will respect the outcome of his investigation.”
Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones, however, wouldn’t commit to following Mr. Wake’s recommendations. “I’m not going to presuppose anything that happens,” she said.
The opposition parties have been calling for a public inquiry into the matter, after a high-ranking OPP officer publicly released a letter last week alleging political interference in the appointment.
Ms. Mulroney suggested a public inquiry is not necessary as the Integrity Commissioner reviews the matter. “The Integrity Commissioner is doing the work that is required, looking into the process. If it’s his determination that a public inquiry is necessary, those are recommendations that we will look forward to receiving,” Ms. Mulroney said.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has asked the Integrity Commissioner to trigger a rarely used power to launch a public inquiry into allegations of political interference by Mr. Ford and his office. Mr. Wake’s office on Wednesday had no comment on the matter.
“What we need to do is get to the bottom of this,” Ms. Horwath said on Wednesday. “This is the only way the people of Ontario will get the truth.”
Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said Ms. Mulroney should appoint a retired judge to probe the matter publicly, who he said would have a broader scope than the Integrity Commissioner.
“Mr. Taverner will not be able to take this job until the air is cleared. Because it will be a very, very difficult job for him to do, because there will always be a perception of conflict,” Mr. Fraser said.
Supt. Taverner, who was to start the job on Monday, put his swearing-in on hold and asked for his resignation from the Toronto force to be rescinded until the Integrity Commissioner’s review is complete.
Mr. Ford, who was not in the legislature to answer questions on Wednesday, told reporters this week that Supt. Taverner will be the "best commissioner the OPP has ever seen,” and took aim at Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, the senior OPP officer who has publicly challenged Supt. Taverner’s appointment.
In a letter released publicly last week, Deputy Commissioner Blair alleged that Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, Dean French, asked the OPP to modify a camper van for Mr. Ford and keep it “off the books."
Mr. Ford called it a “baseless claim” and Ms. Jones said Wednesday the insinuation of keeping a van off the books is “completely false.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/ ... issioners/
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Tories send mixed signals on probe into OPP appointment
One cabinet minister repeatedly declined to say Wednesday whether the government would accept the integrity commissioner’s findings, while another said “we respect his work and we will respect his recommendations.”
Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives are sending mixed signals about whether the government will abide by the integrity commissioner's ruling on its controversial appointment of Ron Taverner as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake is expected to rule within four to six weeks whether Taverner, a Ford family friend, received a political patronage plum.
On Wednesday, Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones repeatedly declined to say whether the Tories would accept findings from Wake's probe into whether the premier played a role in the hiring of the Toronto police superintendent.
"I'm not going to presuppose anything that happens. I'm going to wait for the integrity commissioner to report," said Jones.
But Attorney General Caroline Mulroney said "we respect his work and we will respect his recommendations."
"We will of course abide by the recommendations of the integrity commissioner," said Mulroney.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is hopeful Wake will use his powers to strike an independent inquiry into Taverner's hiring.
"I wrote to the integrity commissioner, asking him to use his power under the Members' Integrity Act to conduct a full, public inquiry into this matter," said Horwath.
"Given the importance of the OPP commissioner's position, only a full, public inquiry can ensure full, public confidence and give the public the answers they deserve," she said.
Ford, meanwhile, was under fire Wednesday for seeking what the New Democrats are lampooning as an OPP-supplied, "off-the-books personal pleasure wagon."
But Jones insisted Ford only wanted the OPP to give him a van — instead of the customary SUV — so he could do work on the road.
With the premier ducking the legislature's daily question period to avoid the opposition barrage over the appointment of Taverner, it was left to the minister to defend the government.
She insisted Ford wanted "a used van because he wants some space to work so that he can call constituents and he can continue to work."
In a letter last week to the Ontario ombudsman, OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair alleged the premier's chief of staff, Dean French, asked the force "to purchase a large camper-type vehicle ... modified to specifications the premier's office would provide us" and keep the costs "off the books."
Ford, who blasted Blair on Tuesday for complaining about Taverner's appointment, has called that "a baseless claim without merit," and said he merely "asked if they had a used one" for him.
Jones told reporters "that the accusation that was made about having it off the books was categorically false."
Asked if she thought Blair was "lying," the minister said, "I'm saying that he is suggesting something that didn't occur."
Through his lawyer, Julian Falconer, the OPP deputy commissioner declined to weigh in on Jones' comment.
The minister, meanwhile, refused to say whether one of the customized features sought by the premier was a "swivel chair" for the police van.
NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) implored the Tories to "stand up to this premier and tell the premier that providing an off-the-books personal pleasure wagon is not the job of the Ontario Provincial Police."
Taverner, a 51-year Toronto police veteran, is awaiting the results of an integrity commissioner report on whether there is any conflict of interest in his appointment before being sworn in.
Horwath, whose party obtained Ford's schedule through a freedom of information request, wondered about the appropriateness of the premier dining with Taverner and Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders on July 30 at Posticino Ristorante in Etobicoke.
That dinner at the swish trattoria was held five days after the premier met privately with then-OPP commissioner Vince Hawkes.
"I would think that that meeting with Vince Hawkes was one where the commissioner of the day had probably informed the premier that he would be announcing his retirement shortly," the NDP leader said. "Very coincidental then that five days later, Mr. Ford's calendar includes a dinner with Mr. Taverner."
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said Ford is emerging as "the chief conductor on the gravy train."
"The premier's chief of staff has ... requested that the OPP provide a special sole-sourced vehicle for the premier and for it to be kept off the books and out of public scrutiny," said Fraser.
Taverner has not returned repeated requests from the Star seeking comment.
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9091 ... pointment/
Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives are sending mixed signals about whether the government will abide by the integrity commissioner's ruling on its controversial appointment of Ron Taverner as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake is expected to rule within four to six weeks whether Taverner, a Ford family friend, received a political patronage plum.
On Wednesday, Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones repeatedly declined to say whether the Tories would accept findings from Wake's probe into whether the premier played a role in the hiring of the Toronto police superintendent.
"I'm not going to presuppose anything that happens. I'm going to wait for the integrity commissioner to report," said Jones.
But Attorney General Caroline Mulroney said "we respect his work and we will respect his recommendations."
"We will of course abide by the recommendations of the integrity commissioner," said Mulroney.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is hopeful Wake will use his powers to strike an independent inquiry into Taverner's hiring.
"I wrote to the integrity commissioner, asking him to use his power under the Members' Integrity Act to conduct a full, public inquiry into this matter," said Horwath.
"Given the importance of the OPP commissioner's position, only a full, public inquiry can ensure full, public confidence and give the public the answers they deserve," she said.
Ford, meanwhile, was under fire Wednesday for seeking what the New Democrats are lampooning as an OPP-supplied, "off-the-books personal pleasure wagon."
But Jones insisted Ford only wanted the OPP to give him a van — instead of the customary SUV — so he could do work on the road.
With the premier ducking the legislature's daily question period to avoid the opposition barrage over the appointment of Taverner, it was left to the minister to defend the government.
She insisted Ford wanted "a used van because he wants some space to work so that he can call constituents and he can continue to work."
In a letter last week to the Ontario ombudsman, OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair alleged the premier's chief of staff, Dean French, asked the force "to purchase a large camper-type vehicle ... modified to specifications the premier's office would provide us" and keep the costs "off the books."
Ford, who blasted Blair on Tuesday for complaining about Taverner's appointment, has called that "a baseless claim without merit," and said he merely "asked if they had a used one" for him.
Jones told reporters "that the accusation that was made about having it off the books was categorically false."
Asked if she thought Blair was "lying," the minister said, "I'm saying that he is suggesting something that didn't occur."
Through his lawyer, Julian Falconer, the OPP deputy commissioner declined to weigh in on Jones' comment.
The minister, meanwhile, refused to say whether one of the customized features sought by the premier was a "swivel chair" for the police van.
NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) implored the Tories to "stand up to this premier and tell the premier that providing an off-the-books personal pleasure wagon is not the job of the Ontario Provincial Police."
Taverner, a 51-year Toronto police veteran, is awaiting the results of an integrity commissioner report on whether there is any conflict of interest in his appointment before being sworn in.
Horwath, whose party obtained Ford's schedule through a freedom of information request, wondered about the appropriateness of the premier dining with Taverner and Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders on July 30 at Posticino Ristorante in Etobicoke.
That dinner at the swish trattoria was held five days after the premier met privately with then-OPP commissioner Vince Hawkes.
"I would think that that meeting with Vince Hawkes was one where the commissioner of the day had probably informed the premier that he would be announcing his retirement shortly," the NDP leader said. "Very coincidental then that five days later, Mr. Ford's calendar includes a dinner with Mr. Taverner."
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said Ford is emerging as "the chief conductor on the gravy train."
"The premier's chief of staff has ... requested that the OPP provide a special sole-sourced vehicle for the premier and for it to be kept off the books and out of public scrutiny," said Fraser.
Taverner has not returned repeated requests from the Star seeking comment.
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9091 ... pointment/
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Globe editorial: To end the OPP scandal, Doug Ford has to make a U-turn
My friends, as Premier of this great province, I want to clear the air on this whole Ron Taverner thing. I don’t want the people of Ontario to think, for even one second, that my government, the Government for the People, would do anything to undermine the independence of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Our cops are tops, and I don’t want there to be a shadow of a doubt about their integrity. No way. Should the day ever come when the OPP has to investigate this government – because, you know, governments sometimes bend the law – I don’t want people wondering if the head cop is in the pocket of the Premier. Of course I don’t want that.
So I’ve asked that my friend Ron – Toronto Police Superintendent Ron Taverner – remove himself as a candidate for the job of OPP chief.
As I’ve said time and again, I had nothing to do with the decision to hire him. The fact that an independent process, which I was not involved in, ended up choosing my old buddy from the old neighbourhood is a total coincidence.
And the fact that the job requirements were lowered after they were posted, making my friend, a 72-year-old police officer of mid-level rank, eligible to apply, is also a coincidence. I had nothing to do with that, either.
But I know it doesn’t look right. Folks, I get it: It looks terrible. The guy in charge of the provincial police can’t be someone people think got the job because he’s best buds with the Premier. If Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals were still in government and the shoe were on the other foot, I’d be screaming bloody murder.
If they had done something like this, I’d be demanding that her buddy step aside. I’d demand that the whole hiring process to be restarted, under an arms-length panel. And most importantly, to find out if anyone in government bent the ethics rules or broke the law, I’d demand a full and independent investigation.
If Ontario Premier Doug Ford could bring himself to say some of the above, it would defuse the atmosphere of scandal and crisis that continues to surround what, in a normal government, would have been a routine hiring decision.
Instead, Mr. Ford has refused to abandon the idea that Supt. Taverner will be sworn in as the OPP’s chief. The appointment is on hold, apparently at Supt. Taverner’s request, until the integrity commissioner reports. But once that happens, the Premier said on Tuesday, “we look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP.”
The Premier is vociferously defending the choice of a 72-year-old, underqualified crony – while simultaneously insisting that it wasn’t his choice. He refuses to acknowledge the mounting evidence that something was terribly wrong with the hiring process, and with his office’s relationship with the OPP. And he refuses to recognize that someone so close to the head of government cannot be the province’s head police officer.
Instead, Mr. Ford has smeared his critics. On Tuesday, he claimed that the former acting head of the OPP, Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, was a law-breaker, and that by writing a whistleblowing letter alleging unethical and possibly illegal behaviour in the Premier’s dealings with the OPP, he had broken the Police Service Act. The Premier told journalists that there were “endless” inaccuracies in the letter, and that “I could give you a list of all the Police Act that was broken throughout that whole letter.”
The Premier then declined to provide such a list, because “none of you want to report on that.”
The people of Ontario deserve answers, not personal attacks on those raising questions.
Why were the job qualifications for OPP chief lowered two days after being posted, just enough to make room for Supt. Taverner? Was the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, involved in that decision? Was the Premier?
Who was on the hiring panel? Who made the hiring decision? And what about Deputy Commissioner Blair’s allegation that the Premier’s chief of staff asked the OPP to procure a “camper-type vehicle” for the Premier, without putting the contract out to tender, and keeping the spending off the books and hidden from the public? If true, that may be a crime. Is it true?
It’s clear the Ford government will only answer questions asked by those it does not have the power to bully, silence or ignore. There has to be an independent inquiry, led by an independent party like a retired judge, with the power to subpoena witnesses. Nothing else will do.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... -make-a-u/
Our cops are tops, and I don’t want there to be a shadow of a doubt about their integrity. No way. Should the day ever come when the OPP has to investigate this government – because, you know, governments sometimes bend the law – I don’t want people wondering if the head cop is in the pocket of the Premier. Of course I don’t want that.
So I’ve asked that my friend Ron – Toronto Police Superintendent Ron Taverner – remove himself as a candidate for the job of OPP chief.
As I’ve said time and again, I had nothing to do with the decision to hire him. The fact that an independent process, which I was not involved in, ended up choosing my old buddy from the old neighbourhood is a total coincidence.
And the fact that the job requirements were lowered after they were posted, making my friend, a 72-year-old police officer of mid-level rank, eligible to apply, is also a coincidence. I had nothing to do with that, either.
But I know it doesn’t look right. Folks, I get it: It looks terrible. The guy in charge of the provincial police can’t be someone people think got the job because he’s best buds with the Premier. If Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals were still in government and the shoe were on the other foot, I’d be screaming bloody murder.
If they had done something like this, I’d be demanding that her buddy step aside. I’d demand that the whole hiring process to be restarted, under an arms-length panel. And most importantly, to find out if anyone in government bent the ethics rules or broke the law, I’d demand a full and independent investigation.
If Ontario Premier Doug Ford could bring himself to say some of the above, it would defuse the atmosphere of scandal and crisis that continues to surround what, in a normal government, would have been a routine hiring decision.
Instead, Mr. Ford has refused to abandon the idea that Supt. Taverner will be sworn in as the OPP’s chief. The appointment is on hold, apparently at Supt. Taverner’s request, until the integrity commissioner reports. But once that happens, the Premier said on Tuesday, “we look forward to having Ron Taverner as the commissioner of the OPP.”
The Premier is vociferously defending the choice of a 72-year-old, underqualified crony – while simultaneously insisting that it wasn’t his choice. He refuses to acknowledge the mounting evidence that something was terribly wrong with the hiring process, and with his office’s relationship with the OPP. And he refuses to recognize that someone so close to the head of government cannot be the province’s head police officer.
Instead, Mr. Ford has smeared his critics. On Tuesday, he claimed that the former acting head of the OPP, Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, was a law-breaker, and that by writing a whistleblowing letter alleging unethical and possibly illegal behaviour in the Premier’s dealings with the OPP, he had broken the Police Service Act. The Premier told journalists that there were “endless” inaccuracies in the letter, and that “I could give you a list of all the Police Act that was broken throughout that whole letter.”
The Premier then declined to provide such a list, because “none of you want to report on that.”
The people of Ontario deserve answers, not personal attacks on those raising questions.
Why were the job qualifications for OPP chief lowered two days after being posted, just enough to make room for Supt. Taverner? Was the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, involved in that decision? Was the Premier?
Who was on the hiring panel? Who made the hiring decision? And what about Deputy Commissioner Blair’s allegation that the Premier’s chief of staff asked the OPP to procure a “camper-type vehicle” for the Premier, without putting the contract out to tender, and keeping the spending off the books and hidden from the public? If true, that may be a crime. Is it true?
It’s clear the Ford government will only answer questions asked by those it does not have the power to bully, silence or ignore. There has to be an independent inquiry, led by an independent party like a retired judge, with the power to subpoena witnesses. Nothing else will do.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion ... -make-a-u/
Michael Jack, Administrator
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Opinion: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is the author of his own misfortune
Six months after finding a path to victory, Doug Ford's Tories are losing their way.
Every government stumbles early on. But it's hard to recall a party in power that has fallen so far, so fast.
Our embattled premier is uniquely accursed because he is so often the author of his own misfortune.
At year-end, Ford keeps running the ball into his own end zone — colliding with allies, trampling on teammates, fumbling at every turn, blinded by hubris.
Emboldened by a landslide victory, Ford imagined himself an all-powerful disrupter who could demolish the Liberal legacy in a flurry of pronouncements. But slogans are no substitute for strategies.
To this day, Ford's greatest weakness is that he imagines himself powerful enough to defy reality, the laws of political gravity, even the laws of the land: defying Ottawa on carbon pricing; defying Toronto on the size of city council; demonizing the courts when they ruled against him; dismissing charter rights when threatening to override them; defying corporate governance by firing top executives of government-controlled companies; alienating francophones by undermining minority language protections; and disrespecting the police by interfering with their independence.
Ford immediately proclaimed himself leader of "Ontario's first government for the people." It was an unprecedented claim to a mandate unique in history, under any party in the past (including his Progressive Conservatives), by a premier unlike any predecessor.
For no premier before him had ever rebranded his or her mobile phone number as a kind of public trust, as if proving a special bond with the people. Just call me (or text me) — anyone, any time.
The myth of the mobile link may be popular for those prone to the personal touch — provided you don't do the math for all 13 million Ontarians with access to a phone. Equally, the promise of roadside signs declaring "Ontario is open for business" has a certain visual and rhetorical appeal — provided you don't do the math for businesses deciding on multibillion-dollar investments.
"My friends, a new day will dawn in Ontario, " Ford pledged solemnly at his swearing-in ceremony.
"You have trusted us to keep our word, to work tirelessly every day on your behalf with integrity and transparency."
Today, those early promises have been held hostage to hyperbole:
Disturbing news reports about political interference by the premier's office in the upper echelons of policing in this province have sparked an independent inquiry, forcing the premier to (temporarily) backtrack on a brazen attempt to install an underqualified crony, Ron Taverner, as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner. The Toronto Star also detailed how Ford's chief of staff, Dean French, demanded that police arrest outlaw cannabis retailers and parade them "in handcuffs" as a publicity stunt.
Ford's capricious decision to downsize Toronto's city council in the middle of a municipal election was not only unprecedented, but went unmentioned in his own provincial election campaign. The subsequent court battle brought out the worst in the premier, who trash-talked our independent judiciary and tried to rewrite the history of our written Constitution.
The premier's impetuous plan to reduce French-language protections for Ontario's francophone minority placed his government in double jeopardy — unable to account for any specific savings, while foolishly trying to put a price on language rights that are part of our history.
The sacking of Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt — dubbed the "Six Million Dollar Man" by the Tories on the campaign trail — ended up costing the government-controlled company more than $150 million in unforeseen fees when the province's meddling prompted U.S. regulators to scotch a planned takeover bid of a U.S. utility.
The Tories' environmental policies have been poisoned by the political environment. By dismantling Ontario's cap-and-trade program, and disavowing carbon pricing in any form, Ford is spoiling for a futile court fight with the federal government, which has every legal right to impose a national carbon tax as a backstop. In his most peculiar pronouncement to date, the premier boasts about wasting more than $30 million in taxpayer funds on lawyers waging political war in a legal setting.
In all these areas, the common theme is defiance and disruption, with little to replace the destruction — beyond roadside signs and bumper stickers. It is a road map for more U-turns, more climbdowns, more own-goals, more about-faces, more losing face.
If Ford doesn't slow down, take stock, learn lessons and change course, he is destined to sink even further. The challenge is not so much ideology as competency — and personality.
Perhaps the premier imagined himself in a bowling alley, where hurling a ball brings the pins crashing down — only to be righted again, automatically and reliably, by the mysterious machinery behind the walls. In reality, the machinery of government is not quite so predictable, and the province not so indestructible.
Years ago, politicians could act out such fantasies by lacing up their bowling shoes and padding down to a bowling alley hidden in the basement of Queen's Park. But the bowling alley closed long ago, and the people of this province are not a set of pins so easily set right again.
Martin Regg Cohn is a columnist based in Toronto covering Ontario politics.
https://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/9 ... isfortune/
Every government stumbles early on. But it's hard to recall a party in power that has fallen so far, so fast.
Our embattled premier is uniquely accursed because he is so often the author of his own misfortune.
At year-end, Ford keeps running the ball into his own end zone — colliding with allies, trampling on teammates, fumbling at every turn, blinded by hubris.
Emboldened by a landslide victory, Ford imagined himself an all-powerful disrupter who could demolish the Liberal legacy in a flurry of pronouncements. But slogans are no substitute for strategies.
To this day, Ford's greatest weakness is that he imagines himself powerful enough to defy reality, the laws of political gravity, even the laws of the land: defying Ottawa on carbon pricing; defying Toronto on the size of city council; demonizing the courts when they ruled against him; dismissing charter rights when threatening to override them; defying corporate governance by firing top executives of government-controlled companies; alienating francophones by undermining minority language protections; and disrespecting the police by interfering with their independence.
Ford immediately proclaimed himself leader of "Ontario's first government for the people." It was an unprecedented claim to a mandate unique in history, under any party in the past (including his Progressive Conservatives), by a premier unlike any predecessor.
For no premier before him had ever rebranded his or her mobile phone number as a kind of public trust, as if proving a special bond with the people. Just call me (or text me) — anyone, any time.
The myth of the mobile link may be popular for those prone to the personal touch — provided you don't do the math for all 13 million Ontarians with access to a phone. Equally, the promise of roadside signs declaring "Ontario is open for business" has a certain visual and rhetorical appeal — provided you don't do the math for businesses deciding on multibillion-dollar investments.
"My friends, a new day will dawn in Ontario, " Ford pledged solemnly at his swearing-in ceremony.
"You have trusted us to keep our word, to work tirelessly every day on your behalf with integrity and transparency."
Today, those early promises have been held hostage to hyperbole:
Disturbing news reports about political interference by the premier's office in the upper echelons of policing in this province have sparked an independent inquiry, forcing the premier to (temporarily) backtrack on a brazen attempt to install an underqualified crony, Ron Taverner, as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner. The Toronto Star also detailed how Ford's chief of staff, Dean French, demanded that police arrest outlaw cannabis retailers and parade them "in handcuffs" as a publicity stunt.
Ford's capricious decision to downsize Toronto's city council in the middle of a municipal election was not only unprecedented, but went unmentioned in his own provincial election campaign. The subsequent court battle brought out the worst in the premier, who trash-talked our independent judiciary and tried to rewrite the history of our written Constitution.
The premier's impetuous plan to reduce French-language protections for Ontario's francophone minority placed his government in double jeopardy — unable to account for any specific savings, while foolishly trying to put a price on language rights that are part of our history.
The sacking of Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt — dubbed the "Six Million Dollar Man" by the Tories on the campaign trail — ended up costing the government-controlled company more than $150 million in unforeseen fees when the province's meddling prompted U.S. regulators to scotch a planned takeover bid of a U.S. utility.
The Tories' environmental policies have been poisoned by the political environment. By dismantling Ontario's cap-and-trade program, and disavowing carbon pricing in any form, Ford is spoiling for a futile court fight with the federal government, which has every legal right to impose a national carbon tax as a backstop. In his most peculiar pronouncement to date, the premier boasts about wasting more than $30 million in taxpayer funds on lawyers waging political war in a legal setting.
In all these areas, the common theme is defiance and disruption, with little to replace the destruction — beyond roadside signs and bumper stickers. It is a road map for more U-turns, more climbdowns, more own-goals, more about-faces, more losing face.
If Ford doesn't slow down, take stock, learn lessons and change course, he is destined to sink even further. The challenge is not so much ideology as competency — and personality.
Perhaps the premier imagined himself in a bowling alley, where hurling a ball brings the pins crashing down — only to be righted again, automatically and reliably, by the mysterious machinery behind the walls. In reality, the machinery of government is not quite so predictable, and the province not so indestructible.
Years ago, politicians could act out such fantasies by lacing up their bowling shoes and padding down to a bowling alley hidden in the basement of Queen's Park. But the bowling alley closed long ago, and the people of this province are not a set of pins so easily set right again.
Martin Regg Cohn is a columnist based in Toronto covering Ontario politics.
https://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/9 ... isfortune/
Michael Jack, Administrator