ADAMS: Doug Ford's Ontario Has Turned Law Enforcement Into a Liability

For years, Ontarians have been told to “trust the system.” Trust the police. Trust the corrections staff. Trust the Premier who hands out badges the way he hands out patronage appointments. And what have we received for that trust?

Another “missing” security tape. Another alleged assault. Another excuse.

The latest Toronto Star investigation into Maplehurst Correctional Complex, where a former inmate said he was assaulted by guards and, conveniently, the jail “lost” the footage, is not an isolated problem. It is not a technical glitch. This is the logical outcome of Doug Ford's reckless, shortcut-driven approach to policing and corrections.

When you lower standards and hand out authority without accountability, you poison the well. You erode trust not just in one officer or one jail, but in the entire institution. And Doug Ford has done exactly that.

A Government That Loves Badges but Hates Accountability

Ford's idea of “public safety” is simple:
Throw more bodies into uniforms, call it victory, and hope no one asks who they are, what training they've had, or why our oversight systems are crumbling.

Police shortages?
Ford says: Just give anyone a badge.

Correctional understaffing?
Ford says: Just hire faster—who cares if they can do the job?

Oversight failures?
Ford says: Look over there—alcohol sales!

This PC government will hand out guns, badges, and authority like party favours and then act shocked when officers behave like they're above the law.

Trust Isn't Owed. It's Earned.

Let's be very clear:
Ontarians do not owe law enforcement respect.
Respect is earned, not assigned at hiring.

And right now? They haven't earned it.

When security footage goes missing from a jail—not once, not twice, but repeatedly—it is not an accident. It is a pattern. A culture of impunity. A message to the public that accountability is optional, and only the powerless suffer consequences.

If your mechanic “lost” footage of damaging your car, you'd demand justice. If your employer “lost” evidence of harassment, you'd call a lawyer. But in Ontario's justice system, “missing footage” has become the punchline to a joke no one's laughing at anymore.

“Missing Footage” Should Mean Automatic Punishment

Here's a simple policy that any serious government would implement tomorrow:

If jail cameras or police body cams “fail,” “malfunction,” or “go missing,” that should trigger:

• An automatic fine for the officer(s) on duty
• Immediate suspension pending review
• Presumption of wrongdoing unless external factors (like a city-wide blackout) can be proven beyond any doubt
• Liability on the institution, not the victim, to explain why evidence disappeared

Faulty building camera? Still consequences.
Body cam cut out? Still consequences.
Hard drive failure? Still consequences.

This technology isn't optional. It's the backbone of public trust. When it “vanishes,” someone is responsible: and that someone should not be the taxpayers.

Stop Making Taxpayers Pay for Police Misconduct

One more reform Doug Ford will never touch but any honest government would:

When an officer abuses their power and the victim wins a lawsuit, the settlement should come out of the police pension fund, NOT the public treasury.

Right now, every time misconduct happens; from brutality, to discrimination, or wrongful arrest, the public pays. The officers don't. The police brass doesn't. Doug Ford certainly doesn't.

But imagine the culture shift if:

• Every officer knew misconduct would literally cost their colleagues' pensions
• Every department suddenly cared about cleaning house
• Every union understood that protecting bad actors drains their own bank account

You'd see discipline return overnight.
You'd see standards soar.
You'd see real accountability.

And you'd see Doug Ford fight to stop it, because it would expose how unserious this government has always been about public safety.

The Ford Government Has Failed Ontarians

Doug Ford talks tough on crime while refusing to confront the easiest crime to prevent:
Abuse of power by the very people he puts in uniform.

His government has created a climate where:

• Cameras “malfunction” exactly when oversight is needed
• Complaints vanish into a bureaucratic black hole
• Officers know they'll face no real consequences
• Taxpayers pay for every mistake and every cover-up

This isn't law and order.

This is lawlessness organized from the top.

It's Time to Rebuild Trust the Right Way

Ontario doesn't need more badges, we need better ones. We need transparency, oversight, accountability, and consequences that apply to everyone, not just the public. If Doug Ford won’t fix this mess—and he won't—then the people of Ontario will have to.

Because trust in policing is not disappearing by accident. It is being actively eroded by a Premier who treats accountability as an inconvenience, not a democratic obligation.

And until that changes?

The public owes law enforcement nothing but scrutiny.

This piece was written by an individual contributor and reflects the editorial position of The Provincial Times and Left Lane Media Group. Read our Content Policy here.