ShonTron
Moderator
I think I speak for most here when I say enough of the "bigots" talk. Move along...
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The TTC and Toronto police are both distancing themselves from the decision to kick passengers off two buses so they could be dispatched to pick up Mayor Rob Ford’s high school football team.
“At no time were TTC frontline personnel aware of why a shelter bus was required,†a TTC news release sent out Sunday evening said.
“Given the urgency of the police request, operations personnel at the TTC made the decision to utilize buses from nearby routes to meet the request as quickly as possible.â€
Officers were called to the field at Father Henry Carr Secondary School at 3:46 p.m. on Thursday after an altercation between the school’s coach and referees. An officer at the field requested a bus for Ford’s players.
But Alok Mukherjee, the chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, said that the TTC could’ve denied the request.
“It is always their discretion, but they haven’t generally ever said no,†Mukherjee said. “It’s up to the TTC as to how they will respond.â€
He added that police didn’t know that TTC passengers would be kicked off two buses to provide shelter for Ford’s football team, the Don Bosco Eagles.
Ford's press secretary George Christopoulos said the mayor isn't happy about what happened.
"The mayor is deeply concerned the buses were taken off active routes," Christopoulos told the Sun Monday.
But when approached by reporters Monday, Ford refused to speak about the incident.
"I don't run the TTC," Ford said, adding, "The coach at (opposing team's school) Henry Carr started it."
“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,” Mayor Ford told reporters on Monday at city hall. “I was the one who got my team into the corner and made sure everything was prepared, taken care of.”
The mayor said he was “assisting the police” when he placed a call into TTC CEO Andy Byford to find out why the bus was taking so long.
“It’s terrible that these people got kicked off the bus. That’s not my call. Okay? I don’t know how much clearer I can be,” said Mr. Ford. “You guys are trying to go after me on something… there’s nothing here. I’m as clean as the days are long.”
Ford's latest quote: I’m as clean as the days are long
I don't understand. Rob Ford is angry that TTC buses being used to ferry his football team, yet he made a follow-up call to the head of the TTC to ask why the bus was taking so long to get there. It is a mystery as to what goes on in that little brain of his.
That's a bullshit statement from the TPSB if you ask me. I doubt very much it is up to the discretion of the TTC to turn down a police request for an emergency bus. Further, it still don't explain exactly what rationale the police used to justify the request in the first place.
I hope someone digs further on this!
but one thing that we know for sure is that a police officer made a very bad judgement call when he/she ordered an "emergency" TTC bus
Actually that's one thing we don't know for sure - under what circumstances did the police officer supposedly make that judgement call. I found it rather odd that the mayor denies all involvement and yet is concerned enough to make a phone call directly to the head of the TTC inquiring the status of the bus. Why would he and not the police officer in question be in contact with the TTC to see the issue to its' logical end? Besides, are 8 police officers dealing with a football match "normal" by any stretch of the imagination?
AoD