TORONTO - Doug Ford defended himself Sunday after being sharply criticized for recent comments he made about an Etobicoke group home for developmentally challenged youth.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Ford said he’s “not opposed to anything” and instead blasted the Liberal government for recently shutting down a nearby youth facility — the Thistletown Regional Centre.
“It’s unfortunate that these youth have been displaced throughout northwest Toronto,” the Ward 2 councillor said. “As for myself being against it, I want to work with the Griffin House to try to find a proper location for youth like this.”
In media reports over the weekend, the mayor’s brother and campaign manager was quoted telling staff from the Griffin Centre — a non-profit mental health agency that runs the home — that they’ve “ruined the community.”
According to the Etobicoke Guardian, Ford said during a May 15 community meeting: “My heart goes out to kids with autism. But no one told me they’d be leaving the house.”
When asked on Sunday if he stood by his words, Ford said, “One hundred per cent I stand by the comments that they misled me.
“My heart bleeds, goes out for families with kids with autism,” he said.
Ford claimed the youth housed in the residence “are not autistic kids.” He said they have “criminal backgrounds” and “violent tendencies.”
“So that’s not what I was told,” he said. “Put ’em in a facility rather than sticking them in a smaller house. It’s just not right.”
In an e-mailed statement, Griffin Centre spokesman Catia Valenti Mishaiel said the organization is “disappointed in Mr. Ford’s comments.”
“We had several contacts with Mr. Ford prior to opening the residence and prior to the community meeting,” she wrote. “We are shocked by his negative comments and lack of support.”
The home is equipped for five youth, between the ages of 12 and 18, with “mild to moderate developmental disabilities and mental health challenges.”
It currently houses three, all of whom attend school in the area, Mishaiel said. Staff at the home include two overnight members.
As for police and EMS calls to the home, Mishaiel said staff sometimes require “additional support.”
“This certainly doesn’t happen daily,” she said.
Ford alleged youth have left the home unsupervised. He also alluded to car break-ins and youth wandering at night in the neighbourhood.
Mishaiel said they have “no reports of these incidences occurring from staff, neighbours or police” and that youth do not leave the home at night.
Donations, interview requests, and messages of support have “overwhelmed” the centre, she said.
Ford said he is meeting with the Griffin Centre this week.
He wants a “proper facility” like the Thistletown Regional Centre and he said he’s willing to work with all levels of government.
“I’m not going to be one of the bad guys here,” Ford said. “I try and help everyone. I’m trying to help the community, I’m trying to help the youth. I’m trying to help the Griffin Centre, so we’ll come up with a solution.”
Thistletown permanently shut its doors on March 31, two years after the provincial government announced its closure. Youth at the children’s mental health centre were moved to other organizations, including the Griffin Centre.
