Ford government fires OPP deputy Brad Blair, critic of Taverner appointment

david mccaig

@Fred Smith

Wonde if citizen groups will put pressure on the opposition and judiciary to do investigatiins into Doug Fords administration.

Ron Brady

@Ron Brady Check the fund raising figures. Seems most agree with me.

Dawn Lewis

@Alex Laverick I prefer Mini Trump.

Andy Freeman

@Ric Ferriby

I'll let you know after I finnish paying off the gas plants, ehealth and ORNGE

Amelia Blanchard

@Michael Furmaniak

That free speech matters, seems implied. But th right only likes free speech when it protects bigots, not hardworking citizens from dissenting.

Dawn Lewis

@Angela Kung The only carbon Ford knows anything about is the carbon left in the bottom of his hash pipe.

David Novak

@Brian Houselander - Losing does not mean we have to stand back and watch an under-educated Premier wreak havoc with our legal system.

We elect Premiers in Ontario, not dictators. You clearly weren't paying attention in school.

Ford government fires OPP deputy Brad Blair, critic of Taverner appointment

Blair wanted Ontario ombudsman to investigate naming of Ford friend as OPP chief

Nick Boisvert· CBC News· Posted: Mar 04, 2019 11:31 AM ET

OPP deputy commissioner Brad Blair has been critical of Ron Taverner's planned appointment as the next Ontario Provincial Police chief. (Ontario Provincial Police)

The Ford government has fired the outspoken Ontario Provincial Police deputy commissioner Brad Blair.

Blair has been a fierce critic of the Progressive Conservatives' appointment of Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner as the next chief of the OPP. He was fired Monday morning.

Blair is asking an Ontario court to force the province's ombudsman to investigate the appointment of Taverner, who is a longtime friend of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

He also recently revealed internal OPP documents about a plan to customize a van for Premier Ford.

• Doug Ford's van customization has $50K price tag, documents show

The PCs say the decision to fire Blair was made by Mario Di Tommaso, the deputy minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, and interim OPP commissioner Gary Couture. The firing was approved by the Public Service Commission.

The PCs have not said exactly why Blair was terminated.

During question period in the Ontario Legislature Monday morning, Opposition leader Andrea Horwath suggested Blair was fired for speaking out against Taverner's appointment.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Blair's 'bravery' may have led to his firing. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

"It's a chilling day in Ontario when a well-respected OPP deputy commissioner who dedicated his life to this province is fired for standing up for the integrity and independence of our provincial police," Horwath said.

"It was a brave thing for this person to do, to come forward, and it looks like that bravery has lost him his job."

'Private HR issue'

In response to Horwath's accusation, Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones said the decision was made "independently of the political process."

"I will not be commenting, nor should anyone else on private HR issues," she said.

Jones later told reporters the decision was made entirely at the discretion of the Public Service Commission and the OPP. She said any accusation that her government influenced the firing was "categorically false."

Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones said neither she nor Premier Doug Ford were involved in the decision. (Ontario)

"I wasn't asked for my advice, if I agreed with the decision that was made. [The Public Service Commission] made the decision to terminate," Jones insisted amid repeated questions about accusations of political interference.

However, Jones did not say who initially launched the review or investigation into Blair's performance, only that the Public Service Commission accepted the recommendation that Blair be fired.

An interim incumbent will be identified by the ministry.

• PCs delay controversial appointment of OPP

In addition to his request to Ontario's ombudsman, Blair is also threatening to sue Ford, alleging that the premier damaged his reputation when Ford accused him of breaking the Police Services Act by speaking out against Taverner's hiring.

Taverner's appointment has been delayed until the integrity commissioner completes an investigation.

With files from The Canadian Press and Mike Crawley

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices