Councillor Doug Ford is raising the heat in a battle with the president of Toronto’s firefighters association after the union criticized Mayor Rob Ford’s use of a fire truck at his recent re-election campaign launch at the same time fire services in the city are being reduced.

“I encourage the firefighters, the great firefighters we have, to replace this person, Mr. Kennedy, that just wants to start controversy, make up stories and he’s being disingenuous with people. The worst thing he could do is put scare tactics into the people when we’re pouring money into the fire department,” said Ford, who is acting as his brother Rob’s campaign manager.

Ford accused Ed Kennedy of playing “real dirty,” linking him with political consultant Nick Kouvalis, despite the fact Kouvalis ran his brother’s successful mayoral campaign in 2010. Kouvalis is now working for the mayoral campaign of John Tory.

The Toronto Fire Fighters Association issued a statement after the Thursday evening event, calling the use of the fire truck “utterly tasteless” and a “slap in the face” at a time fire services are actually being reduced.

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Kennedy, president of the TPFFA, called the elder Ford brother’s comments “typical. . .it’s to be expected.”

“It’s kind of hypocritical to use a fire truck as a prop when all of sudden, you’re going to be pulling four fire trucks out of service,” Kennedy said, noting that the trucks will be withdrawn from service on Monday, along with 84 firefighter positions.

“This is not about politics. It’s about public safety. They (Ford brothers) are misleading the public. The citizens aren’t aware of this, we’re making them aware because we’re concerned,” Kennedy added, noting firefighters are working on their off-time to notify residents in the four affected communities about the reduction in service.

While Doug Ford said the city is preparing to open four new fire halls, Kennedy said the actual number is only two — one at the CNE and one at Midland Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E — but without hiring additional firefighters.

“I am a taxpayer, I live in the city and I live in one of the impacted areas,” said Kennedy, a firefighter for 33 years.

“We’ve never played dirty politics. We’re supporting nobody and there’ve been no discussions,” Kennedy noted.

The firefighters union has only ever endorsed one mayoral candidate in recent memory, David Miller, who was first elected in 2003. The association did not endorse him when he was re-elected in 2007, said association spokesperson Frank Ramagnano.

Kennedy said he’s confident he will be re-elected as union president later this year.

Doug Ford also criticized public service union leaders in general, noting his he and his brother “differentiate between labour and labour leadership.”

“We don’t always agree with the public sector labour leadership. And do you know what’s amazing? Sixty per cent of union members don’t agree with their leaders. On top of it, they don’t even want to belong to the union,” he said.

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At a city-sponsored Environment Day event in the ward of city budget chief Frank Di Giorgio, Mayor Ford defended his vote in 2011 to stop city funding for such events, which encourage residents to turn in items such as old paint cans and to pick up compost and new recycling bins.

“I didn’t support Environment Days all the time. But we should condense them, two into one. We don’t need 44, we could have 22. If the councillors want to do something different, that’s up to council,” Mayor Ford said.

Ford also said he continues to support Gene Jones, the embattled CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. City ombudsman Fiona Crean is expected to release a damaging report on Tuesday after investigating the housing corporation’s hiring, firing and promotion practices under Jones’ leadership in the past two years.

“I’ve always supported Gene Jones,” Ford said. Asked if he’ll continue to support Jones regardless of the report’s findings, he responded: “Absolutely.”

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