Doug Ford “did not breach” the law when the Progressive Conservatives tried to install his friend Ron Taverner as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, despite the role of the premier’s office in a “troubling” and “flawed” hiring process, says the province’s ethics watchdog.

“I found that the premier stayed at arm’s length from the recruitment process and that he believed it to be independent,” integrity commissioner J. David Wake wrote in a 101-page report released Wednesday.

“However, I found that there were some troubling aspects of the recruitment process and ultimately made the finding that the process was flawed,” said Wake, whose investigation found Ford’s office stickhandled nearly every aspect of the controversial posting.

Taverner, a 72-year-old Toronto police superintendent, withdrew his name from consideration for the post on March 6 after months of controversy about his close relationship with the premier.

York Regional Police deputy Chief Thomas Carrique, who does not know Ford, was appointed the new commissioner last week.

The premier told reporters Wake’s report “represents a complete vindication for our government.”

“We’ve been cleared. We followed the letter of the law,” Ford said, blaming opposition parties for forcing Taverner to abandon his bid with “gutter politics.”

But Wake’s findings question the Tories’ claim the hiring was handled by an “independent” panel.

“The report raises important questions about the appointment power of the premier and cabinet, particularly when the appointee is a friend of the premier and the position is that of the commissioner of the OPP,” the integrity commissioner wrote.

Wake recommended that there be “an established appointment process in place which is independent, transparent and readily activated with predetermined criteria and membership on the selection committee.”

There were concerns throughout the Taverner affair about the government’s insistence the 51-year police veteran had been selected without political interference.

On Dec. 3, Steve Orsini, who was then secretary of the cabinet, sent a text to Ford’s chief of staff Dean French, reminding him Taverner once worked for the deputy minister on the hiring panel, Mario Di Tommaso, at the Toronto police service.

“The messaging in today’s legislature on the OPP commissioner uses the term ‘independent’ selection panel,” wrote Orsini, who resigned suddenly on Dec. 14 after insisting Taverner’s appointment be delayed until the integrity commissioner’s report was completed.

“Independent of who? I’m the deputy minister to the premier and Ron reported to Mario when he was at TPS. I would drop the word independent and just call it ‘recruitment selection panel’ where no political staff were involved,” he continued.

Wake’s report says Orsini confided to former deputy minister Matt Torigian, who was ousted in favour of Di Tommaso last year, that he was “getting pressure” to hire Taverner.

“The secretary confided in him that he felt pressured to hire ‘a friend of the Fords’ and that he mentioned Mr. Taverner and another name (unrelated to this matter),” the integrity commissioner wrote.

Wake interviewed 21 witnesses, including the premier and Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones.

He said the mysterious changing of the qualifications threshold allowing Taverner, whose rank was initially too low, to apply for the job was due to “confusion” not “collusion” on the part of Ford’s office and bureaucrats, though he noted key emails were missing.

His probe — sparked by a complaint by NDP MPP Kevin Yarde (Brampton North) that Ford may have breached the Members’ Integrity Act — found French was deeply involved in the Taverner matter.

The chief of staff told Wake he and Ford “both recommended” to Orsini that Taverner “be considered” for the job, but stressed it was “a referral” and not a direction from the premier’s office.

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After Taverner was appointed and did an interview with CP24, Orsini texted French to say “he needs media training fast!”

“I will get Chris Froggatt on this,” replied French, referring to the founding partner of lobbying firm Loyalist Public Affairs and vice-chair of Ford’s election campaign.

Wake found that Froggatt wrote the Dec. 16 email for Taverner which requested that his appointment be postponed until the integrity commissioner’s report was done.

Ford defended that arrangement.

“Chris Froggatt’s a great communicator and he’s great with communication,” said the premier.

NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) said Ford got off on a “technicality” because of the limited scope of Wake’s powers and urged a full public inquiry.

“It looks like a co-ordinated effort to do everything they could to push forward Mr. Taverner into this appointment. We don’t know at this point whether Doug Ford was doing Dean French’s dirty work or Dean French was doing Doug Ford’s dirty work,” said Natyshak.

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser called the entire episode was “a fiasco” while Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford still doesn’t understand “it is wrong for him to hire a family friend to lead the OPP.”

The report suggests heading the OPP was a consolation prize for Taverner, who had been initially tapped personally by Ford for a $270,000-a-year job as president of community outreach at the Ontario Cannabis Store, the government’s new recreational marijuana retailer.

But Taverner said he was “getting cold feet” about leaving law enforcement.

“He knew that it was a very good offer but explained that he was struggling with leaving policing in light of his 50-year career in that field,” wrote Wake.

“As he put it, ‘[i]t really wasn’t about the money. It was more whether I could get my head around not being a cop.’”

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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