Doug Ford says new leadership is needed to fix OPP problems

Premier Doug Ford says new leadership is needed to fix what he calls systemic problems with the OPP.

The premier made the comments in the legislature Thursday, a day after Ford’s close friend Ron Taverner announced he’d no longer take the top job given the controversy surrounding his appointment.

Ford insists the process that led to Taverner’s appointment as OPP commissioner was objective. He’s accusing the opposition of politicizing the process, rather than supporting front-line officers.

Although Taverner pulled his name from the running, NDP leader Andrea Horwath said the move doesn’t undo the premier’s role in the hiring process. She is now demanding a public inquiry. “It needs to be a completely independent process. It can’t have Doug Ford’s fingerprints all over it. It can’t be a friend of the family. It can’t be someone who has to have the qualifications reduced, just so they can qualify and it has to be completely separate from the government,” said Horwath.

Taverner’s withdrawal comes just days after Deputy OPP Commissioner Brad Blair, who criticized Taverner’s appointment, was fired by Mario Di Tommaso. The Ford government said Blair was fired for releasing confidential OPP information; Blair says it was reprisal.

When asked whether Di Tomasso will have a role in picking the new commissioner, the minister of safety and correctional services Sylvia Jones said he will have a say.

“He is the deputy for public safety. He will have a role, as is completely appropriate for somebody who serves as the deputy minister in public safety,” said Jones.

The hiring process is currently under investigation by the integrity commissioner.