Ford interfered with civic appointments process, ombudsman says
Posted September 27, 2012 10:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There’s yet more trouble brewing for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
The city’s ombudsman has released a new report that says interference by the mayor’s office compromised the civic appointments process that recruits candidates for city agencies, boards and commissions.
Ombudsman Fiona Crean said city staff was asked to speed up the process of recruiting and selecting candidates. A tight timeline could have potentially compromised the ability to determine any potential conflicts among candidates.
Crean adds that meant staff didn’t have enough time, support or necessary resources to properly follow policy between late 2011 and early 2012.
Crean also points out that the agencies involved have a considerable impact on the lives of Torontonians.
The document also says there was no plan to encourage applications from diverse communities. In fact, according to the report, the mayor’s office asked that the statement seeking diverse candidates be removed from the recruitment ads.
The report also said city staff were told by the mayor’s office not to place ads in The Toronto Star.
