Ontario Premier Doug Ford is coming under fire because the person who will be the next commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police is a family friend.
The other red flag drawing attention to the hiring is the fact that the minimum requirements for the position were lowered to expand the pool of candidates, also allowing the applicant to apply.
Ron Taverner, formerly a superintendent with the Toronto Police Service and a veteran of 51 years, will become commissioner of the OPP on Dec. 17.
The premier said he had nothing to do with the process, which he noted was open, transparent and the result of the hiring committee’s unanimous decision.
WATCH: Ford explains independent panel selected new OPP commissioner, not him
The opposition, though, says those red flags should still be investigated — where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Any indication of preferential treatment or personal agendas is unacceptable at any level of government.
If there is any room for speculation, there had better be room for an explanation.
The lowering of qualification criteria and Taverner being a family friend of Ford’s will certainly draw opposition attention, and the fact it has warrants a closer look from all of us.
Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.
- What is a halal mortgage? How interest-free home financing works in Canada
- Capital gains changes are ‘really fair,’ Freeland says, as doctors cry foul
- Ontario doctors offer solutions to help address shortage of family physicians
- Canada will take bigger economic hit than U.S. if Trump wins election: report
Comments