January 15th, 2019
January 15th, 2019
QUEEN’S PARK — Even after the previous Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) commissioner announced his retirement and the hunt for a new commissioner was underway, Doug Ford continued to meet in secret with ally Ron Taverner. Ford’s calendar has revealed yet another meeting between the two, on Oct. 9.
“Ford has claimed that he had ‘zero influence’ on the choice to appoint Ron Taverner the OPP Commissioner, but that story is crumbling,” said NDP critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services, Kevin Yarde. “It’s time for Doug Ford to quit making stuff up and come clean about events leading up to Taverner’s appointment.”
The Oct. 9 meeting at Wally’s Grill was revealed by Ford’s calendar, which the NDP obtained through a Freedom of Information claim (FOI).
On Sunday night, the Globe and Mail revealed that Doug Ford had dined with Ron Taverner on June 18, where the pair was joined by Mario Di Tommaso. Di Tomasso, who Ford has claimed he doesn’t know, was appointed deputy minister of Community Safety one week earlier, on Oct. 1, which put him in the position to lead the interview and hiring panel for the new OPP commissioner.
Ford also met with Taverner on July 30, a meeting revealed via an NDP FOI; again on Aug. 16, revealed by the Globe and Mail; and again on Aug. 28 at Ford’s cottage.
“For the integrity of Ontario’s police service and all its future investigations, people and officers need to know if Doug Ford ordered the hiring panel to hire Taverner,” said Yarde, who added that it’s still not known who ordered that the qualifications for the job be lowered two days after it was posted. Before that change Taverner was under-qualified by two police ranks.
“The police cannot be controlled by a politician,” said Yarde. “And there’s a fear in the OPP and throughout Ontario that that’s what Ford is attempting by rigging the system to install an ally in the commissioner’s seat.”
The NDP has provided a copy of the calendar FOI to the Integrity Commissioner’s office to help in its investigation into Taverner’s appointment.