Advertisement

Doug Ford calls on Toronto police chief to step down

Toronto Coun. Doug Ford has called on Toronto police Chief Bill Blair to resign.

Toronto Coun. Doug Ford says police Chief Bill Blair is biased against his brother, Mayor Rob Ford, and should step down temporarily.

Doug Ford, who made the comments Tuesday on CBC's Metro Morning, said Blair "is the most political police chief we've ever had" and "needs to step down immediately."

It's the latest twist in the scandal surrounding Rob Ford and a video that is in police hands, and is alleged to show him smoking crack cocaine.

The video has yet to be made public.

Reports of the existence of a video first emerged in the spring, with journalists from the Toronto Star and Gawker reporting they had viewed a video of the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.

That prompted an extensive police investigation of the mayor.

Last week, police charged Rob Ford's friend and occasional driver, Alexander Lisi, also known as Sandro or Alessandro, with extortion. At a news conference last Thursday, Blair confirmed that a tape exists that is “consistent” with what had been described in the media reports.

Blair also said he's "disappointed" at the contents of the tape, adding they're a "traumatic issue" for the city and its reputation. But Doug Ford says those comments show Blair has overstepped his role as police chief.

"He should not have made those comments," Ford told Metro Morning host Matt Galloway.

"He's created a bias towards the mayor," said Ford, who also said he and his brother support front-line police officers "100 per cent."

"He believes he's the judge, jury and executioner."

On his Sunday radio show, Rob Ford apologized without specifically stating what behaviour he's apologizing for. The mayor also called on Blair to make the tape public.

Meanwhile, many on council, including members of the mayor's own executive committee, say Ford's apology did not go far enough and are calling for him to step down.

Doug Ford's comments suggest a growing rift between the Fords and Blair.

On Monday, it was learned that Rob Ford will not be at Blair's Chief of Police Gala, an annual event that raises money for victims' services and where the mayor is usually a guest at the head table.

Both Ford and event organizers agreed the mayor should not attend the event, given the recent headlines.

When CBC News asked police spokesman Mark Pugash about Doug Ford's comments Tuesday, he said, "We do not respond to personal attacks. Our job is to investigate without fear or favour."

Alok Mukherjee, chair of the Police Services Board, which provides civilian oversight of the police department, says he received a text message from Doug Ford on Tuesday morning, saying the councillor wanted to meet with him to make a complaint about Blair being motivated by political considerations.

Mukherjee responded to Ford in writing, saying a meeting would be inappropriate and under the Police Services Act, he's prevented from following through on one.

Mukherjee said a meeting with Doug Ford would be viewed as interfering with a police investigation, and he advised Ford to file a complaint with the Ontario independent police review director.