• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Cost of housing in Canada

How many times have we seen people promoted beyond what they should have been?

Politics aside, is there anything specific to Chief Blair's career with Toronto Police Services - not politics - that you have a probelm with?

 
Politics aside, is there anything specific to Chief Blair's career with Toronto Police Services - not politics - that you have a probelm with?
For me, I’d trust close friends who stayed in TO after I joined the CF and moved away, who joined TPS (and the ‘Big 3’ surrounding the GTA: Peel, York, Durham) who to a person (both men and women alike), said Blair was a disaster and self-interested protectionist of his cadre of sycophants. So 2nd-person unanimous distrust of him. This includes friends up to Inspector to in TPS.

As ex-EMS in Metro, what was your 1st/2nd person impression of Blair?
 
For me, I’d trust close friends who stayed in TO after I joined the CF and moved away, who joined TPS (and the ‘Big 3’ surrounding the GTA: Peel, York, Durham) who to a person (both men and women alike), said Blair was a disaster and self-interested protectionist of his cadre of sycophants. So 2nd-person unanimous distrust of him. This includes friends up to Inspector to in TPS.

As ex-EMS in Metro, what was your 1st/2nd person impression of Blair?

The City of Toronto saw fit to make him one one our three emergency services Chiefs.

That was good enough for me.
 
Best I can do for you guys.

What I lacked in cleverness, I tried to make up in loyalty to my employer.

Still do. Force of habit, I guess.

And by extension the province made Doug Ford Premier and the nation made Trudeau PM.

That's politics.
 
Ahhh, so the Minister ISN’T responsible for his portfolio then?

“it was one of my subordinates that made a mistake. It’s not my fault!”


Totally ‘on-brand’ for this Government. It was the speaker’s fault an ex-SS Nazi was invited to and honored by the House of Commons, not the PM as leader of the Government.


LPC Playbook - #37:
View attachment 82988
I didn't say that at all. I'm saying he was parroting what he was told. If a dozen individuals step forward and say, actually I'm a homeless CAF member, I would expect the MND to recant his previous statements and admit there is a problem. I'm not saying he would do that, I'm saying that is what should be expected.

And it isn't just out of the Liberal playbook. It is out of every senior officials playbook (military, public and private sector) whose position and continued forward progression is their primary concern in life.
 
I didn't say that at all. I'm saying he was parroting what he was told. If a dozen individuals step forward and say, actually I'm a homeless CAF member, I would expect the MND to recant his previous statements and admit there is a problem. I'm not saying he would do that, I'm saying that is what should be expected.

And it isn't just out of the Liberal playbook. It is out of every senior officials playbook (military, public and private sector) whose position and continued forward progression is their primary concern in life.
Not so sure that such clear negating of any issues is a pan-organizational thing. Homeless/stressed CAF members doesn’t fit in with the current Government’s position, so it doesn’t get acknowledged - particularly when the MNd is tied to the PM/PMo’s messaging hip.

Anyone here think that MND just took some staffers word for it? And even if he did, let’s say…”trust” this staffers word, does anyone believe that he would update his position prior to the PMo consulting the Ouija board to see what polling impact there was from a Minister’s non-ownership of an issue? Let’s see the record of the public servant who misinformed the MND be identified and given a remedial measure to resolve the clear deficiency!!
 
Best I can do for you guys.

What I lacked in cleverness, I tried to make up in loyalty to my employer.

Still do. Force of habit, I guess.



That's politics.

Public servant.... not political servant.
 
That's politics.

Policing at the executive level, whether a municipal chief or highly ranked RCMP/OPP/SQ executive is absolutely 100% political. It isn't supposed to be, but that's part of the problem we as a profession find ourselves in.

You can't just dismiss politics outright at this level of office, even if that office isn't elected.

Especially when that unelected person uses his previous office to launch a career into elected office.

Blair has always been a politician, he just advanced through the ranks of TPS first whilst practicing his trade.
 
Blair has always been a politician, he just advanced through the ranks of TPS first whilst 4practicing his trade.

All three Chiefs of Emergency Services in our town "advanced through the ranks".

Guess that makes all three politicians, to some readers.

Maybe they walked the mayor's dog. How would I know?

Unlike our Mayor, we didnt vote for them. But, we were loyal to them. Even now.

As ex-EMS in Metro, what was your 1st/2nd person impression of Blair?

Learned a lesson as probie. "Never, EVER, admit the Department has done anything wrong."

I understood that to include Metro Police.
 
All three Chiefs of Emergency Services in our town "advanced through the ranks".

Guess that makes all three politicians, to some readers.

Unlike our Mayor, we didnt vote for them. But, we were loyal to them. Even now.



Learned a lesson as probie. "Never, EVER, admit the Department has done anything wrong."

I understood that to include Metro Police.
I've known a few at the 'chief officer' (Chief, Commissioner) and Deputy level; some from when they were mere worker bees. It is highly political at that level and I've watched some hone their craft from their NCO level.

If they get to their loft position from within, it is an appointment; if they move from another agency, it's a hire, but the rules are the same. The councils, cabinets or boards that do the hiring don't care how well you can write a warrant or apply a dressing; I'm not sure they care if you are a good leader (actually, at that level, operational leadership should be 0% of your job). They want to tick the appropriate boxes of the day and know what type of department head your are going to be from their perspective (i.e. not create problems for them). And they only get to pick from the one who want/can be talked into the job. I've known several really senior police people who didn't go for the ring simply because they saw what the position truly was.

Does anyone thing Sloly got the job in Ottawa because of his strong and deep law enforcement background?

Back in the 1960s, the OPP had a civilian Commissioner who had been legal counsel at A-G. Knew his way around 'the system', knew how governments and bureaucracies worked and knew how to get stuff done. He is still regarded as one of the best commissioners the Force has had.
 
I love how people can read about corruption and incompetence all up and down the public agencies of the world throughout history, but apparently the subject of every specific contemporary discussion is Man of the Year.
 
He came from Toronto.

As far as I know, ( I'm sure they did not ) the city has never hired a chief ( for any dept. ) from out of town.
I'm aware.

I'm not sure if TPS has ever attracted a senior officer (Inspector and up) from another service, and probably damned few Sgts. or S/Sgts. Lateral entry in police services is not particularly common, especially above the Cst. level anyway.

In an organization as large as the TPS, they shouldn't really have to 'go outside'. One aspect of leadership is to identify and groom (probably a bad term these days) your replacement, and TPS should be large enough to have sufficient bench depth. Smaller services do not, particularly when your get up near the peak. There is an argument; however, for a 'clean broom' - someone from outside the organizational culture.

The OPP and RCMP are a bit different. They're government appointments and the people doing the hiring aren't the equivalent of a Police Services Board. They aren't directly the employer and won't be dealing with their selection on a regular basis. There's politics in all of it and I'm not suggesting that there is political interference in police operations but certainly political influence in senior staff selections.

I said in the last post that, at the Chief level, operational leadership should be 0% of the job, but that is not totally true in smaller organizations.
 
I'm aware.

I'm not sure if TPS has ever attracted a senior officer (Inspector and up) from another service, and probably damned few Sgts. or S/Sgts. Lateral entry in police services is not particularly common, especially above the Cst. level anyway.

In an organization as large as the TPS, they shouldn't really have to 'go outside'. One aspect of leadership is to identify and groom (probably a bad term these days) your replacement, and TPS should be large enough to have sufficient bench depth. Smaller services do not, particularly when your get up near the peak. There is an argument; however, for a 'clean broom' - someone from outside the organizational culture.

The OPP and RCMP are a bit different. They're government appointments and the people doing the hiring aren't the equivalent of a Police Services Board. They aren't directly the employer and won't be dealing with their selection on a regular basis. There's politics in all of it and I'm not suggesting that there is political interference in police operations but certainly political influence in senior staff selections.

I said in the last post that, at the Chief level, operational leadership should be 0% of the job, but that is not totally true in smaller organizations.

Not sure why anyone from out of town would ever want to "do a lateral" into Toronto.

Jumping from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak.

Be careful what you wish for, or "You'll be sorreeeee." 😊

As far as Toronto Police Services Chief Blair is concerned,

He served as President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, elected by his peers in policing.
 
Hansard 7 Feb 24:
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, military members and their families are a priority, and we are taking steps to ensure that they are supported. We are investing $445 million over the coming years to tackle the supply of military housing.
When the Conservatives had an opportunity to support our military personnel, they chose not to. The Conservatives stood up in this House and voted against supporting our men and women in uniform just last December.
 
Back
Top