Halton police chief apologizes for Florida trip over ‘property-related’ business as union says officers are outraged

Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner has apologized for going to Florida for personal real estate reasons - out of country travel that has prompted frustration and disgust" from some of his officers.

Tanner confirmed to the Star Friday that he is currently in Florida on personal property-related business matters" - a trip he called a poor decision" in a written statement issued by Halton police Friday afternoon.

My decision to travel in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation was a poor decision, and one that I deeply regret," Tanner said in a statement.

The out-of-country travel was called tone deaf" by Clay Gillis, the president of the Halton police association, who noted it's not in line with the we are all in this together' kind of messages."

Tanner obtained permission for the trip from Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, the chair of the Halton police board. In an interview with the Star Friday, Burton said he stood by his Dec. 22 decision to green-light Tanner's trip and still believes it was essential.

Burton said there is now a calendar game" going on where decisions made weeks ago are being judged by current conditions, and noting international travel was at record levels" at the time.

I knew of no law or regulation forbidding international travel, nothing like that," Burton said.

On Dec. 22, Ontario premier Doug Ford urged Ontarians to stay home over the holidays and not gather with anyone outside of their immediate household, warning the province was at a tipping point" at which hospitals could be overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases. The federal government has for months asked Canadians to stay home and avoid non-essential travel abroad.

News of Tanner's international travel has outraged some members of the Halton police, said Gillis, who on Friday morning sent a message to members informing them of the chief's Florida trip.

Several members have spoken to me personally and other members of our board to display their frustration and disgust for a decision to travel during a global pandemic and provincial lockdown," read the message sent to officers Friday and obtained by the Star.

The out-of-country trip was only brought to the Halton police association's attention when Tanner was noticeably absent in the wake of the sudden on-duty death of a Halton officer this week, Gillis said.

On Wednesday, Halton police announced the sudden death of Det.-Const. Michael Tidball, who died while conducting an investigation as a result of an acute medical episode," the police force said.

As he and other members of the police association began receiving calls from officers wondering where the chief was, Gillis said he needed to assure police members that the association would be bringing their concerns over Tanner's trip to the Halton Police Services Board and seeking an explanation and some transparency," Gillis told the Star.

Tanner told the Star he understood the frustration felt by some of his officers and regrets being in Florida during to the death of one of his officers and not being there to support people in person."

In his statement, the chief said it weighs on him that he is not there to support his members while they grieve Tidball's death.

I have extended my deepest apologies to every member of the Service. My absence is a distraction from their healing and has taken the focus away from what is most important at this time," he said.

Asked by the Star if he thought it was a mistake to go to Florida, Tanner said: I don't know if you can look at a mistake in hindsight.

I came down here with permission. I think that's so key. And I would never have done it without permission. And I never would have sought that permission unless it was for business purposes - I'm not at a holiday resort on the Mayan Riviera somewhere."

Tanner noted that the service has never told members that they cannot travel, but have said that if they came back from a trip, they will have to quarantine for 14 days on their own time, something Tanner said he will be doing starting Monday.

Burton asked what questions about officials and international travel had to do with spread of the virus, saying COVID-19 is being controlled by people keeping their distance, wearing masks and guarding "their sneezes and coughs."

There's a set of public health guidelines that have been proven to work. And sometimes I worry that we're losing track of those and chasing chimeras," Burton said.

Revelations of foreign, non-essential travel by politicians others in positions of power in recent days have seen high-profile resignations, including by former Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips after taking a Caribbean vacation.

On Thursday, the St. Joseph's Health System said it had parted ways" with former CEO Dr. Tom Stewart after he travelled to the Dominica Republic over the holidays.

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis