Ontario’s ethics watchdog has found Premier Doug Ford “did not breach” any laws when the Progressive Conservative government tried to install his friend Ron Taverner as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.“I found that the premier stayed at arm’s length from the recruitment process and that he believed it to be independent,” integrity commissioner J. David Wake wrote in a 101-page report released Wednesday.“However, I found that there were some troubling aspects of the recruitment process and ultimately made the finding that the process was flawed,” said Wake.Taverner, a 72-year-old Toronto police superintendent, withdrew his name from consideration for the post earlier this month after weeks of controversy.York Regional Police deputy Chief Thomas Carrique, who has never even met the premier, was appointed the new commissioner last week.Wake interviewed 21 witnesses, including the premier and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. He said the mysterious changing of the qualifications threshold that allowed Taverner, whose rank was initially too low, was due to “confusion” not “collusion” on the part of Ford’s office and bureaucrats. He investigated after a complaint by NDP MPP Kevin Yarde (Brampton North) that Ford may have breached the Members’ Integrity Act.In a statement, Ford said the report “represents a complete vindication for our government.”But the commissioner warned the hiring process has to change in the future and noted the premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, was deeply involved in the Taverner matter.French told Wake he and Ford “both recommended” to then secretary of cabinet Steve Orsini that Taverner “be considered” for the job. French insisted it was “a referral” and not a direction from the premier’s office.Still, the ethics commissioner expressed concern about the hiring process.“For a posi ...
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