Bill Blair serves Doug Ford with defamation notice
A spokesman for Toronto police Chief Bill Blair confirmed the top cop has served Councillor Doug Ford with a notice of defamation after he suggested the chief had something to do with leaking information about a subpoena due to be served to Mayor Rob Ford.
Councillor Ford was served Monday evening by a process server.
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The feud between the Fords and Toronto’s top cop hit a new height on Friday, with Chief Bill Blair saying he is prepared to take legal action against Councillor Doug Ford for suggesting he had something to do with leaking information about a subpoena due to be served to Mayor Rob Ford.
Multiple reports indicated the chief magistrate will likely be subpoenaed to testify in the case of pal and accused drug dealer Sandro Lisi, who is charged with extortion for allegedly trying to coerce purported gang members into handing over the video showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine.
Chief Blair said he was prepared to take legal action and now he has, said Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash, adding this does not involve taxpayers money. Mr. Pugash said the notice asks for a retraction and a public apology in a manner agreed to by Chief Blair before hand.
Mr. Pugash said the chief was paying for the legal action out of his own pocket.
It quotes a variety of sources that form the basis of the alleged defamation.
Mayor Ford summoned the media to his campaign office to talk about how jobs and the economy should be the number one issue in this election. He promised to keep property taxes much lower than the rate of inflation, which he pegged at around 1.5%. He refused to say much about the Blair lawsuit.
The issue is between the chief and my brother. I m not going to comment on it, like I said, he said. All I said is I m a little baffled at how the media knew two seconds after he received it. (Doug Ford was served Monday and the story first broke Tuesday morning.)
Mayor Ford said he had not been subpoenaed to testify in the Lisi trial.
Earlier this month, multiple media reports indicated Mayor Ford would be served a subpoena to testify in the preliminary hearing of his pal and accused drug dealer Sandro Lisi.
Mr. Lisi is charged with extortion for allegedly trying to coerce purported gang members into handing over the video showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine.
The councillor told reporters he thought the leak was payback and when you have the leadership of the police department releasing a subpoena to the media before they release it to the mayor, you wonder why we need a change at the top? That’s one of the reasons we need a change.” The leak came days after the police board decided not to renew the chief s contract.
The Chief responded then through his spokesman saying: Doug Ford is lying and I am prepared to take legal action.
Councillor Ford didn t back down, however, saying it was his opinion and he s sticking to it.
According to the councillor, as of Monday the mayor had yet to be subpoenaed.
Councillor Ford was in a meeting of Etobicoke York Community Council on Tuesday and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.