ABOVE: Hear Doug Ford’s apology to Chief Bill Blair for yourself
TORONTO – Doug Ford publicly apologized for saying police Chief Bill Blair leaked information about an ongoing criminal case fewer than 24 hours after Blair served him was served with a defamation notice.
“I want to make a public apology to the chief that he feels has impugned his reputation and I retract the statements,” he said. “I’ve personally called the chief today, I’ve talked to him, I told him that I apologize.”
But in the same breath, Ford reiterated the allegation that got him in trouble in the first place.
“In my opinion, there was an apparent leak and again, in my opinion, there’s only three or four people that knew about this,” he said.
That doesn’t cut it, according to police spokesperson Mark Pugash, who said Ford called the chief and said he intends to apologize – but has yet to submit an apology in writing, which Blair will forward to his lawyers.
Ford later said on CP24 that his lawyers were in the process of drafting an apology.
Pugash said Blair refused to comment on the matter.
Doug Ford, who brushed off the defamation notice Tuesday said he was taking the high road by apologizing and suggested he and the chief have a “good relationship” despite calling for his resignation multiple times over the past several months.
Last week Ford accused Blair of leaking to news organizations the information that Ford’s brother, Mayor Rob Ford, willl be subpoenaed during his friend Sandro Lisi’s extortion trial. Doug Ford said this was “payback” after Blair’s contract as chief wasn’t renewed.
Lisi is accused of using threats to try and retrieve a video of Mayor Ford smoking what looks like crack cocaine. He’s scheduled to appear in court on the extortion and unrelated drug charges next spring.
Last week Blair said Doug Ford was lying and threatened legal action against him; he made good on that threat Monday evening, serving Doug Ford with a defamation notice and demanding a public apology and retraction.
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