City Coun. Doug Ford is defending his opposition to the location of a residential home for developmentally disabled youth and he's lashing out at people who criticized him for saying the facility has “ruined” a west-end neighbourhood.
In an interview with CP24 on Sunday, the mayor’s brother stood by the comments he made at a community meeting his office organized last week and he shot back at his critics, including former Liberal MP Bob Rae.
Ford claimed the group home in his Etobicoke ward is dragging down property values and he insisted police, paramedics or firefighters are called there daily or every other day.
Ford wants the Griffin Centre facility to move out of the neighbourhood, but he says his position has nothing to do with autism.
The councillor said he’s upset because, he claims, he was misled about the group home’s residents and rules.
Ford said Griffin Centre asked him if it could buy a house that would be home to “a few kids with autism” who wouldn’t leave without supervision.
He claims the current occupants have violent tendencies and are allowed to leave the house unsupervised, and he accused them of causing problems in the neighbourhood.
“It’s turned into an absolute nightmare,” Ford told CP24 news anchor Nneka Elliott by telephone. “If someone told me this was going to happen I wouldn’t OK it.
“It’s not about kids with autism,” he added. “It’s about kids that have violent behaviour, and I want to care for those folks, too.”
In an email to The Canadian Press, Deanna Dannell, a Griffin Centre spokeswoman, said she was disappointed with Ford's comments but is heartened by the social response to his remarks.
“The positive support from the community has been overwhelming,” she said. “Not only have they been posting their support, they have been sending us letters of support and making generous donations.”
Dannell told The Canadian Press that Griffin Centre had several contacts with Ford before the residence opened and it was upfront about who would live there and what services would be provided.
Ford’s position was first reported by the Etobicoke Guardian, drawing criticism from Rae, who tweeted: “This is the opposite of leadership on mental health. Doug Ford should be ashamed of himself - hurting not helping.”
Ford had harsh words for Rae and accused the former Ontario premier of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.
“Bob Rae doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in that neighbourhood,” Ford said. “Maybe he should go there and get his little, you know, elitist, pompous self over there. Maybe we should put a house right beside his house because I know he lives in an absolutely gorgeous area. I'd like to see his reaction when police are being called, fire trucks outside.”
Rae declined to respond to Ford’s comments.
Ford blamed the situation on the Liberal government’s decision to close the Thistletown Regional Centre in Etobicoke and transfer children’s mental health services to community-based agencies.
He accused Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne, who is in the middle of an election, of being responsible for the facility’s closure, but the decision was made in 2012 when former premier Dalton McGuinty was in charge.
When the decision was announced, the province said there would be no cuts to funding for services during the transfer.
At a campaign event in Mississauga on Sunday, Wynne took the high road and insisted her party is not cutting funding or services and continues to invest millions of dollars to help children who have autism.
“For me, what’s very important is that the services that are provided to the people who need them are provided in the best way possible,” Wynne told reporters.
On Sunday night, one resident of the neighbourhood told CP24 that Doug Ford's comments were "right on," confirming reports of disturbances since the group home residents moved in.
Neighbour Kim White, however, said that she wasn't even aware that the home existed.
When asked if it bothered her to have a group home for developmentally disabled youth in the area, she replied, "They have to live somewhere."
@ChrisKitching is on Twitter. For up-to-the-minute breaking news, follow @CP24 on Twitter.
