Mayor Rob Ford is sticking by Toronto Community Housing CEO Gene Jones following a new report that claims the CEO is being investigated for his hiring practices.

“He’s come in. He’s cleaned house. He’s done what he has to do. I support him 100 per cent,” Ford told reporters after touring a TCHC building at 3101 Weston Rd. Wednesday. “So if people want to take shots at him, I’m gonna stick up for him.”

A report Wednesday in the Toronto Star says city ombudsman Fiona Crean is investigating complaints that Jones hired and promoted managers without allowing other staff to compete for the jobs.

Speaking alongside Ford, Jones responded to questions about the reported staff complaints, saying staff ‘always complain.’

“We’ll wait until the ombudsman does the report and then we’ll go from there,” he said.

Ford toured the building to speak with residents, taking the elevator to the 18th floor and then heading down all the way to the basement on foot, knocking on doors along the way to peer inside apartments. After he emerged, he said the building is in a much better state than when he visited 10 years ago.

“We still have some isolated incidents with the cockroaches, the odd problem with doors, showers the odd problem, (but it’s) 10 times better than it was before. That’s for sure,” Ford said.

He added that residents seem to be in a better mood overall and that the “the proof’s in the pudding” when it comes to the work Jones has been doing.

Jones was hired as CEO of TCHC with Ford’s endorsement in 2012 after the previous CEO was ousted in the wake of a spending scandal at the organization.

Ford said that while things are improving, it will still take time to turn the housing corporation around.

“Is it perfect, no it’s not perfect, but it’s… a lot better than it was before,” he said.

The Star report says another investigation is also underway to determine whether a former TCHC subsidiary falsified documents to make it appear as though work that was done in Ottawa was really done at TCHC’s 200 Wellesley St. facility, the scene of a massive 2010 fire.

The report says the investigation into the former subsidiary -- Housing Services Inc. – was launched by TCHC itself and that its findings could have significant implications with regards to an insurance claim for 200 Wellesley.

Sources told the Star it appears Whiteout was used to alter the documents.

Asked about the report, Jones said he couldn’t give details because he wanted to protect the integrity of the investigation.

“It’s ongoing. We uncovered some things so we have to look at it a little bit further,” Jones said. “This is not the last of it. There’s probably going to be a little bit more because of some of the things we’ve been seeing.”

Jones said he expects the investigation into the allegedly falsified documents will be wrapped up within one to two months.

Asked about the investigation, Ford said he didn’t know details, but that he supports the effort to make the organization more transparent.

“If people got to go to jail, they got to go jail,” he said. “That’s the mess we inherited. It was a complete disaster."

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