NDP questions appointment of premier’s friend to head OPP:
Ontario’s Official Opposition is raising concerns about the appointment of a friend of Premier Doug Ford to the province’s top policing job.
On Thursday, Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Sylvia Jones announced that Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner would become the next commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Taverner is a longtime friend of the Ford family.
“Police forces need to be free from political influence, real or perceived,” said NDP MPP Kevin Yarde in a statement released Friday.
“With this appointment, Doug Ford is promoting a close friend and ally by several ranks, leapfrogging the OPP’s senior leadership team without an explanation.”
The statement noted the OPP is the police force most likely to investigate the actions of the government, political parties and elected officials. It was the force that investigated and laid charges in the deleted documents gas plants scandal that resulted in the conviction of the chief of staff to former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty.