Taverner can’t be effective OPP leader
There’s a simple solution to the unnecessary mess surrounding the selection of a new commissioner for Ontario’s provincial police force. Ron Taverner, the 72-year-old career cop who was awarded the job out of a large crowd of potential appointees, should step aside and let a search committee pick someone else.
Taverner took the first step in that direction on the weekend when he asked that his first day on the job — which would have been Monday — be postponed until an investigation into his hiring could take place.
“Out of the greatest of respect for the brave men and women of the Ontario Provincial Police, I am requesting my appointment as commissioner be postponed until as such time the integrity commissioner has completed his review,” he wrote in an email to Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones.
Though by all accounts a capable police officer, the charge against Taverner is that he got the job because he’s a pal of Premier Doug Ford. There were 27 candidates for OPP commissioner, considered the top police position in the province. Taverner initially didn’t qualify for the job, but once the requirements were lowered he was able to apply and was unanimously selected by a threemember panel. Ford insisted he had “zero influence” on the choice and would have accepted whoever was chosen. He said the search firm asked for the change in job requirements, not him. The fact Taverner was a family friend and spent two decades as a senior officer in the Fords’ Etobicoke neighbourhood had nothing to do with it, he insisted.
“I can’t influence and tell the police what to do,” he said.
That’s just the problem, and the root of the suspicions aroused by Taverner’s appointment. The premier may not be able to tell any old OPP commissioner how to run his shop, but with an old friend at the top of the force, he might not have to. Plenty of reasons have been offered as to why it’s a bad idea having the top politician and the top cop as longtime buddies; heading the list is the fact the police sometimes have to investigate politicians who get into questionable shenanigans. If you want to completely undermine public confidence in the credibility and objectivity of the police, turning them into a political pawn is one of the best and quickest roads to success.
Ford seems oblivious to this, just as he’s been resistant to good sense in a number of previous matters. His determination to dictate policy to Hydro One caused the collapse of a $6.7 billion takeover of a U.S. power firm, triggering a termination fee topping $100 million. His decision to scrap a French-language university, while justifiable, was handled so artlessly the backlash forced the government into an embarrassing retreat. His slashing of Toronto’s city council while the municipal campaign was already underway — once again not a bad idea — succeeded mainly in getting him branded a vengeful bully, feeding a fast-developing grudge between city and province.
If past performance is any indication, the premier’s approach to the Taverner situation will be to dig in and defy anyone to make him budge. That’s why it’s necessary for more conscientious minds to take the initiative. Taverner would have done well to remove himself from the debate once it became obvious his choice as commissioner would prove so divisive. Although he had already resigned his post in Etobicoke, he rescinded the resignation Monday and will return to his old job while the inquiry proceeds.
But the pressure only continues to mount. Two former OPP commissioners have now raised questions about his appointment. Chris Lewis, who headed the force for four years, noted that Taverner had never run an organization anywhere near the size of the provincial body, and was selected over far more experienced senior officers. Interim commissioner Brad Blair, who was to step aside for the new boss, asked Ontario’s ombudsman to investigate whether the appointment was politically motivated. When the ombudsman’s office rejected the request, claiming it was outside its jurisdiction, Blair went to court Friday seeking an order forcing the investigation.
The high-level squabbling has been a gift to the opposition New Democratic Party, which can now hold itself up as the champion of police independence and integrity against a government intent on interference at every level: ordering around Toronto council, manhandling Hydro One and putting the premier’s personal choice at the head of Canada’s second the largest police force (after the RCMP).
“Mr. Taverner’s appointment cannot go ahead under this cloud of suspicion,” intoned NDP leader Andrea Horwath. “The independence of police forces is fundamental to the health of our democracy.”
With Taverner on hold and Blair out of the picture, relieved by Ford’s cabinet, the OPP will now be headed by a temporary replacement, Deputy Commissioner Gary Couture, who becomes the fourth man named to hold the reins since the retirement of Vince Hawkes in November.
It’s entirely possible that Ford is being truthful, and that he had no direct input into Taverner’s selection. Unfortunately, his performance so far as premier makes it difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt, and his penchant for attacking questioners as enemies only adds to the impression of a man with something to hide. Ford is proving to be his own worst enemy, which adds to the need for others to protect him from his worst instincts. Taverner could do that, and perform a valuable service both to his friend and the integrity of the OPP by stepping aside and letting the process start over with a slate of candidates clearly independent of the premier and his office.
FORD IS PROVING TO BE HIS OWN WORST ENEMY.