In an emotional plea posted to Instagram on Monday night, P.C. leader Doug Ford’s eldest daughter Krista Ford Haynes appealed for donations to finance legal support for her husband’s disciplinary battle with his employer, Toronto Police Service.
“I am coming here tonight to ask for something I never in a million years thought I would ask for… your financial support,” said Krista in an Instagram video.
“I know in my heart that what has transpired over the last year between my husband and his employer is not right,” she added in the description of the couple’s GoFundMe page.
Krista’s husband, Dave Haynes, is a staff sergeant with Toronto Police Service (TPS), where he has worked for more than 20 years, according to his wife.
Krista said over the past year, Haynes has faced “serious allegations” as a result of “trying to be transparent about a safe working environment.”
In the fall of 2021, the premier’s son-in-law was suspended by the TPS for failing to comply with the force’s vaccination mandate, which at the time required all service members receive the COVID-19 shot.
In June 2022, about eight months after first introducing the vaccine mandate, the TPS dropped the requirement and welcomed back 101 employees who had been on unpaid leave, according to CBC News.
In the GoFundMe, Krista said her husband faced seven months of unpaid leave since 2021 for “asking for more information about the ethicacy [sic] of a vaccine being forced upon it’s [sic] members.”
TorontoToday contacted Krista and Haynes for clarification about the issue between the cop and TPS but did not hear back by publication time.
TPS spokesperson Nadine Ramadan said she could not comment on the specifics but said Haynes is scheduled to appear before the force’s disciplinary tribunal on Feb. 25.
The disciplinary tribunal is a forum where officers and the force have the opportunity to dispute allegations of serious breaches of the police code of conduct.
The GoFundMe was launched less than 48 hours before Ford’s father is set to call a provincial election. With a target of $100,000, the fundraiser has so far raised nearly $13,000.
TorontoToday contacted the premier for comment.
“Mrs. Haynes is a private individual, and we do not speak on her behalf,” said Grace Lee, director of media relations for the premier.
Krista Ford Haynes seeks funds for independent legal counsel
In her Instagram video, Krista said she is raising funds to hire a lawyer to represent her husband in the dispute with his employer.
While the Toronto Police Association (TPA) normally represents police officers in labour-related proceedings, Krista said they have sought outside counsel, alleging the TPA has been “biased” in Haynes’ case.
“I don’t have confidence that he will be given a fair hearing or investigation based on our unique political affiliation among other bonafide reasons,” said Krista.
In an emailed statement, TPA president Clayton Campbell said the union would not comment on the allegations, nor specifics of the case.
Campbell said, however, the TPA “provides dedica[ted], professional legal support to its members.”
Krista said she does not believe the union’s lawyers would serve her husband fairly because, as she’s alleged, the TPA encouraged her husband to take a "deal" offered by his employer to settle the "allegations" against him out of the public eye.
She said she did not believe the union could provide her husband with "unbiased representation,” because part of the deal required her husband to drop a “very serious” grievance related to “serious systemic supervisory concerns.”
Ramadan said she could not comment on supervisory concern allegations.
In his emailed comment, Campbell said the TPA provides legal counsel for members “because there are sector-wide implications that result from matters involving our members.”
“Not only do we want the best possible outcome for any individual member, but we want case law and precedent-setting decisions to positively impact other members, present and future,” he said.
Krista said an ask to the TPA to pay for external counsel given the bias concerns was rejected.
“If a TPA member decides not to avail themselves of the legal support we provide, they can find, fund, and manage someone on their own,” Campbell said.
Not first time Krista has been public about vaccine concerns
Krista has made her concerns with her husband’s treatment by the TPS public for several years.
In November 2021, after Haynes was suspended over his refusal to get the vaccination, Krista posted publicly on Instagram, decrying the mandate.
At the time, TPS was one of a number of public employers, including the City of Toronto and TTC, that instituted vaccination mandates.
About a month after Krista’s video, Haynes posted one of his own to Instagram, stating that his decision not to comply with the mandate was a matter of “honour” and “integrity,” according to BlogTO.
In addition to concerns about TPS’ vaccine mandate, Krista has also been public with her concerns about the safety of the vaccination.
In August 2021, as her father was urging the public to get the shot, Krista posted a video to Instagram questioning the safety of the vaccination.
In the video, Krista held up a flyer advertising the vaccination which stated the shot is safe and that it cannot cause COVID-19.
“You might want to fact-check that,” she said.
Government of Canada data shows nationwide 105 million doses of the vaccine have been administered with few adverse reactions. About six in every 10,000 people report one or more adverse reactions, most of which are mild, according to federal data.
The vaccine cannot cause COVID-19 because it does not contain the live virus that causes the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dave Haynes working for Toronto Police College
In a statement in 2022, the TPS said it was ending their vaccination mandate because of the state of the pandemic.
At the time, about 99 per cent of TPS members were fully vaccinated.
Ramadan said Haynes is not suspended and is currently assigned to the Toronto Police College.