Did the Winnipeg Sun award its prestigious "Jerk of the Year Award" to the wrong mayor?

Mayor quiet on domestic disputes

By Robyn Doolittle
Urban Affiars Reporter
Friday, December30, 2011
Mayor Rob Ford at Pearson Airport Friday afternoon (Michael Woods/Toronto Star)

Mayor Rob Ford has continued to stay silent about two ongoing police investigations into domestic disputes at his home.

Ford, who flew back to Toronto on Friday, did not respond to an interview request from the Star and has, as of yet, not spoken publicly on the issue. He declined to comment to a Star reporter at Pearson airport upon his arrival from Florida around 5 p.m.

His first scheduled public appearance is the annual New Year’s Levee at city hall, from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday.

On Friday, the Star reported that 22 Division’s Youth and Family Violence Unit was probing two recent incidents at the mayor’s Etobicoke home.

The first occurred on the same day Ford made the infamous early morning call to 911 after This Hour Has 22 Minutes showed up in his driveway. By 10:17 p.m., police were called back to the Edenbridge Drive residence for a “verbal altercation” between Ford and his wife, Renata.

The second domestic call came to police early Christmas morning.

Sources say Renata’s mother made the call after Ford, who she said had been drinking, took the children to the airport to go to Florida against Renata’s wishes.
No charges have been laid and there is no evidence that the Star knows of to suggest physical violence occurred.

According to numerous police and emergency service sources, 911 calls to the mayor’s home are a reality for 22 Division. The Star has heard about a handful of incidents, but attempts to confirm the reports through freedom of information requests have been unsuccessful.

The incidents raise questions about where the line should be drawn between the public and private lives of politicians. On one hand, public officials have a right to privacy to sort through personal issues. On the other, as mayor of the city, Ford is directly involved in police budget and contract negotiations. He has a seat — or a designate — on the Oversight Board, to which Chief Bill Blair reports. And four of the seven seats on the Board are appointed by city council.

In 2008, when Ford was a councillor, one dispute became public after Ford was charged with assault and uttering a death threat. That charge was dropped two months later because of inconsistencies in Renata’s story.

With files from Michael Woods