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Chief Bill Blair serves Doug Ford with defamation suit notice

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TORONTO

Councillor Doug Ford says he’s “shakin' in (his) boots” now that Chief Bill Blair has served him with a defamation notice.

Toronto Police confirmed Tuesday that Mayor Rob Ford’s brother was served with a notice of defamation on Monday night — the move comes just over a week after Blair threatened legal action over comments the councillor made.

“Chief Blair said in his statement he was prepared to take legal action and he has,” Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the Toronto Sun on Tuesday. 

“What the notice asks for is a retraction and public apology.”

Pugash stressed the chief was footing the bill for the lawsuit. 

“This does not involve any taxpayers’ money,” he said. 

At the Etobicoke Civic Centre, Ford shrugged off the lawsuit.

“I’m shakin’ in my boots,” Ford told reporters as he walked away from them.

“Do I look worried?”

Ford wouldn’t say whether he will apologize but said the “unprecedented” lawsuit was with his lawyers. “Maybe we’ll bury the hatchet and maybe we’ll go fishing some day,” he said.

The Etobicoke North (Ward 2) councillor also questioned how news came out that he had been served with the notice of defamation.

“I want to know who leaked this story, the tooth fairy?” he asked.

Mayor Ford said he couldn’t comment on the incident.

“It’s between my brother and Chief Blair,” Rob Ford said. “I’ve said what I’ve had to say about the chief. I wish him the best of luck. I want to thank him for his service.”

But Ford said he was “dumbfounded” by the fact reporters found out about the notice.

“I just don’t know how the media would know about it two seconds after he received it,” he said. “I’m a little baffled.”

On Aug. 1, Doug Ford told reporters that news that Toronto Police were planning to serve Mayor Rob Ford a subpoena to testify in the Alexander “Sandro” Lisi extortion case was “payback.”

“You wonder why ... changes need to be happening at the level of the police, that’s the reason,” Ford said.

Asked then if he believed the news of the subpoena came out for “political reasons,” Ford said he “truly believes it is.

“It is just a little way of him saying, ‘Here you go,’” Ford said.

In response to Ford’s comments, Blair issued a blunt statement.

“Doug Ford is lying and I’m prepared to take legal action,” Blair stated at the time.

Ford didn’t apologize or retract his comments despite the chief’s warning.

“It’s my opinion,” Ford said on Aug. 1. “I’m entitled to my opinion.”

The next day, Ford throttled back his comments but stopped short of apologizing or retracting his comments.

“It just gets heated some times and, to be frank, I wish it didn’t even happen to be honest with you,” Ford said in an interview the day after the war of words erupted. “Everything gets heated down there and everyone gets a little rambunctious — I’m just as bad as anyone else.”

Ford went on to say that “sometimes I get a little rambunctious, sometimes. “

“I just want to wish the chief all the best moving forward. He’s leaving, I’m leaving, so I think we should leave on good terms,” he said.

don.peat@sunmedia.ca


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