Bill Blair (police chief)
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| Bill Blair | |
|---|---|
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| Chief of the Toronto Police Service | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Boyd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Scarborough, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Blair |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto[1] |
William Sterling "Bill" Blair,[2]:870 OOM MStJ is the current[update] police chief of Toronto, Ontario. He was selected in a 4–2 vote of the Toronto Police Services Board in early April 2005,[3] and formally appointed Chief of the Toronto Police Service on April 26, 2005.[1] He succeeded Mike Boyd, who had served as interim chief after the expiry of Julian Fantino's contract.[3] Prior to his appointment as chief, Blair worked for approximately 30 years as a Toronto police officer, with assignments involving drug enforcement, organized crime and major criminal investigations.[1]
As of 2010[update], Blair is president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.[1] In 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.[4]:840–841 He is a Member of the Venerable Order of Saint John.[2]:870
At a June 28, 2010 rally, protesters called for Blair's resignation, because of orders he gave that led to the detention of nearly 1000 demonstrators during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests.[5] In a December 8, 2010 interview, Blair indicated that he would not resign, despite growing criticism of his leadership during and after the summit.[6]
Responding to questions about a controversial regulation enacted by the Cabinet of Ontario to increase police powers during the summit, Blair was supportive, stating that "[i]t was passed in exactly the procedure as described in our legislation in Ontario".[7] Post-summit reports revealed that on June 25, prior to the start of the summit and shortly after Blair defended a widely-reported misinterpretation of the regulation in a press conference, the police department received a government bulletin clarifying the misinterpretation and explaining that the new regulation accorded them no additional power to demand identification outside of the summit perimeter.[8][9] Blair's spokesperson stated that as of the press conference, Blair was unaware of the clarification;[8] however, Blair did not retract his prior remarks to the press after receiving the bulletin.[9] When interviewed after the summit, Blair confirmed that there was never an extraordinary legal requirement for the public to present identification within 5 m of the perimeter fence, but that he "was trying to keep the criminals out".[9] In December 2010, following a critical report by the Ontario Ombudsman, André Marin, Blair admitted regret that he had initially interpreted the regulation at face value, and did not promptly clear up confusion about the meaning of the regulation.[6]
[edit] See Also
- You Should Have Stayed at Home - 2011 documentary
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Official biography from the Toronto Police Service
- ^ a b Canada Gazette Directorate (2006-04-29), Government House, "Canada Gazette, Part I" (PDF), Canada Gazette (Ottawa, ON, Canada: Public Works and Government Services Canada) 140 (17): 868–871, ISSN 0045-4192, OCLC 605283630, http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/2006/2006-04-29/pdf/g1-14017.pdf, retrieved 2010-07-11
- ^ a b Wanagas, Don (2005-04-14–2005-04-21), "Bill Blair’s inside job", Now Magazine (Toronto, ON, Canada: Now Communications) 24 (33), ISSN 0712-1326, OCLC 8651772, archived from the original on 2010-12-24, http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nowtoronto.com%2Fnews%2Fstory.cfm%3Fcontent%3D146870%26archive%3D24%2C33%2C2005&date=2010-12-24, retrieved 2010-12-24, "Blair won in what sources indicate was a four-two vote. Word is, he managed to appeal to Fantino fans Case Ootes and Hugh Locke without completely alienating the so-called progressive contingent."
- ^ Canada Gazette Directorate (2008-03-29), Government House, "Canada Gazette, Part I" (PDF), Canada Gazette (Ottawa, ON, Canada: Public Works and Government Services Canada) 142 (13): 840–841, ISSN 0045-4192, OCLC 605283630, http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2008/2008-03-29/pdf/g1-14213.pdf, retrieved 2010-07-11
- ^ Peaceful protesters demand resignation of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair on BlogTO
- ^ a b Poisson, Jayme (2010-12-08), "The buck stops here, Chief Blair says", Toronto Star (Toronto, ON, Canada: Torstar), ISSN 0319-0781, OCLC 60656984, archived from the original on 2010-12-23, http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2Farticle%2F903724&date=2010-12-23, retrieved 2010-12-23, "In the face of growing criticisms of his handling of the G20 and its aftermath, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair says he will not resign."
- ^ CBC News (2010-06-25 22:37), "Police powers expanded for G20", CBC website (Toronto, ON, Canada: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), archived from the original on 2010-12-24, http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fcanada%2Ftoronto%2Fstory%2F2010%2F06%2F25%2Fg20-new-powers.html&date=2010-12-24, retrieved 2010-12-24, "Civil liberties groups are concerned about the new regulations, but Toronto police Chief Bill Blair defended the move to add the new powers and denied there was any attempt to deceive the public about how or when they were enacted."
- ^ a b [1] from the Globe and Mail website as updated on Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2010 9:27PM EDT
- ^ a b c [2] from the Globe and Mail website as updated on Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2010 9:27PM EDT
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