Police chief looks for answers in Mayor Rob Ford’s TTC bus incident

TORONTO, Ont. – Police Chief Bill Blair is looking for answers, after Mayor Rob Ford said he had no hand in an incident in which riders were kicked off two TTC buses during afternoon rush hour Thursday, in order to shuttle his high school football team back to its school.

“It was a decision made by a supervisor at the scene, and the supervisor believed it was the right thing to do and made the call,” Blair told 680News on Tuesday. “What transpired subsequently with people being put off the bus had nothing to do with us, but certainly the Police did make the call.”

Blair has also asked Superintendent Ron Taverner of 23 Division to clarify the circumstances under which the bus was requested, and is expected to get a briefing around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon.

There has been plenty of confusion over the incident outside Father Henry Carr School. Ford said he did not order Toronto police or the TTC to have the buses cleared to pick up the football team he coaches. The buses were rerouted after police requested the vehicles when the team’s football game ended early.

“I controlled my team,” he said Monday. “If the police decide that there’s a situation that seems to be serious, that’s their call. They decide to make the call. It has nothing to do with me.”

Ford said he made a call to TTC CEO Andy Byford when the bus did not arrive after 20 minutes only to follow up on behalf of police.

The mayor said he was unaware that fare-paying passengers were kicked off the two buses.

“I’m all about service. That drives me nuts. But I can’t tell what Mr. Byford to do and how to run the TTC. I can’t tell the police what to do nor would I. I had nothing to do with this,” he said.

Ford said police had concerns after a spat on the field between the coach of the opposing team and the referees.

“I don’t run the TTC. Go to the head coach at Henry Carr who started it,” he said.

He accused the media of targeting him.

Over the past few weeks, the mayor has been accused of prioritizing his football team over city council.

In an internal email to TTC commissioners Byford said he was “not happy” that customers were “inconvenienced” during the incident.
 
He said he did not know why the buses were used and that he will be follow up on the incident with mayor’s office and police.

Meanwhile, a Catholic School Board official has said the buses were called in because it was cold and raining.

Blair said he will be explaining the incident to the Police Services Board next week.