The former vice-chair of the Toronto Police Service Board is accusing Chief Bill Blair of being “insubordinate” and refusing to follow the will of the board, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.
Coun. Michael Thompson told the newspaper that Blair has ignored direction during his time as Toronto’s top cop, resulting in a situation in which the “the tail is wagging the dog, as opposed to the board leading the organization.”
“The chief has, in many instances, not followed the direction, not followed policy,” Thompson told the Globe and Mail. “And in fact, the board has not been able to muster the energy to say ‘You know what? You’re being insubordinate.’ I believe that’s what it is. He’s being insubordinate to the board.”
Thomson has clashed with Blair and the board in the past. In fact, last March the Ward 37 Coun. Threatened to take legal action over a board decision calling for an investigation into comments he had made suggesting that he would not support a renewal of Blair’s contract, however the matter was eventually settled out of court.
In the Globe and Mail report, Thomson said that Blair has been uncooperative on a number of fronts, specifically on the issue of carding, and has taken a ‘I’m the chief’ approach in his dealings with the board.
For his part Blair, who will step aside after his contract expries in April, seemed to suggest that Thomson’s criticism is politically motivated.
“I don’t normally respond to personal attacks, but I will make an exception in this case,” he told the Globe and Mail. “I believe integrity and public safety are more important than cynical political expediency.”
Thomson was not reappointed in October when Mayor John Tory chose to sit on the board in his place.
At the time, Tory told reporters that he was “not at all” happy with the frosty relationship between the board, the Toronto Police Service, and the community.
Remember for instant breaking news follow @cp24 on Twitter.
