Hiring of Ford’s friend to head OPP must be reviewed
Monday is set to be the biggest day in Ron Taverner’s working life.
It’s the day he’s supposed to become head of the Ontario Provincial Police and assume the vast power and prestige that come with the job. It’s the day that would leave him bursting with pride as it caps a distinguished and decorated law enforcement career spanning more than five decades.
But as much as he wants the job and believes he deserves it, Taverner should call a time out. Difficult though it may be, he should decline taking over as OPP commissioner until a thorough public review of how his appointment happened.
Taverner, you see, is a good friend of Doug Ford’s family, and this connection, along with other factors, has fuelled concerns that Ontario’s premier or his office interfered with the appointment for his own political benefit.
No less a figure than the OPP’s acting head, Brad Blair, shares these concerns and earlier this week called for Taverner’s appointment to be delayed until Ontario’s Ombudsman examines it.
Someone should listen to Blair. Ontario is supposed to be a mature democracy, not a banana republic. In a mature democracy, there must be a clear, unbreachable boundary between the politicians who make the laws and the police who enforce them.
It’s possible that sometime in the coming years, the OPP could find a need to investigate the actions of the Progressive Conservative government, Ford’s colleagues or even the premier himself. Remember, the OPP acted in a similar capacity when it investigated the previous Liberal government’s gas plant scandal.
The OPP and its commissioner must not only be free of bias, they must be seen to be free of bias. But the process that preceded Taverner’s hiring has led Blair, an OPP deputy commissioner, to argue “the independence of the OPP is now called into question.” Other OPP officers agree with him, Blair says, adding that the force’s morale is suffering.
The problems go beyond the strong personal connection between Ford and Taverner. Taverner was appointed after the job criteria, which he did not initially meet, were subsequently changed so he qualified.
The original job posting required the successful candidate to have at minimum served as a deputy police chief or an assistant police commissioner. Taverner, a Toronto police superintendent, never achieved either of those lofty ranks. However, two days after the original job posting, those requirements for previous experience were dropped. And this mid-level officer was eligible. Blair says that of the 27 applicants to become commissioner, “only four did not meet the original threshold requirements.”
Naturally enough, Ford denies interfering with Taverner’s appointment. Indeed, he dismisses Blair’s allegations as “sour grapes” because Blair also wanted the job. But Blair’s motivations are irrelevant. What matters is answering the questions he raised.
It would be a grave mistake for Taverner to take over as OPP commissioner with such clouds of controversy swirling around him. It would undermine his credibility as commissioner, leave him and the OPP vulnerable to future charges of political bias and erode public confidence in this vital law enforcement agency.
The Ford government seems willing to accept this fallout. But if the Ombudsman doesn’t quickly announce a review, Taverner should call a halt to his swearing-in ceremony until the suspicions about his hiring are addressed. This would serve his interests as well as the public’s.
As it stands, he faces a tainted tenure as commissioner. That’s no way for Taverner to lead or enjoy what should be his career’s biggest day.