Toronto’s integrity commissioner says there are “sufficient grounds” to launch an investigation into whether Mayor John Tory’s ties to Rogers constituted a conflict of interest that should have prevented him from participating in a council debate on the fate of ActiveTO road closures last year month.
In a letter to Adam Chaleff, who lodged a complaint last week, integrity commissioner Jonathan Batty confirmed he would launch an investigation into whether the Tories had breached parts of the Municipal Conflicts of Interest Act (MCIA).
“Your application is within my jurisdiction and you have provided me with sufficient grounds to review whether Mayor Tory has violated Sections 5, 5.1 and/or 5.2 of the MCIA,” he wrote. “As a result, I decided to investigate. This does not mean that I have found that Mayor Tory has violated the MCIA or that it is appropriate to go to court.
In his original complaint, Chaleff alleged that Tory violated sections of the MCIA by discussing and voting against extending ActiveTO’s road closures along Lake Shore Boulevard West after the Blue Jays, who are owned by Rogers, publicly said that ActiveTO is hurting their business.
In the complaint, Chalef alleges that Torrey, as a member of the Rogers Control Trust Advisory Committee, has an “indirect pecuniary interest in any matter affecting the finances, economic prospects and/or property value of the Toronto Blue Jays,” and therefore should have to declare a conflict on the matter.
But Tory defended his actions, telling CP24 this week that he “follows the rules” when it comes to conflicts and has always done so in a “very deliberate way”.
“We’ll deal with it as we’ve dealt with things like this before, but I’m confident that I’m following the rules and I’m continuing to follow the rules, and I’m going to continue to follow the rules. I was very transparent about that,” he said.
Chaleff has asked the integrity commissioner to speed up his investigations so the public knows the outcome before the municipal elections in October, but in his letter, Batty refused to commit to a specific timetable.
City of Toronto law stipulates that all open inquiries must cease as of August 19, which is the registration deadline for municipal elections. That would leave Batty with just three weeks to complete his investigation.
“I intend to begin my investigation immediately, but I cannot guarantee a date for the parties’ completion until I have had an opportunity to review the evidence,” Baty’s letter said.
“To best serve the public interest, my inquiry must be fair and thorough as it may result in either the application being rejected or legal proceedings being initiated.”
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