Toronto Mayor John Tory is facing the possibility of an integrity commissioner investigation ahead of the city’s upcoming municipal elections.
A complaint filed by a community activist alleges Tory has a conflict of interest because of his ties to Rogers Communications and the council’s decision to end ActiveTO’s regular road closures on Lake Shore Boulevard West.
The Tories’ office told Global News they had not received any communication from the city’s integrity commissioner and said the mayor had no conflict.
The story was first reported in the Toronto Star on Tuesday.
Read more: Toronto ends regular ActiveTO waterfront road closures
The complaint, filed by activist Adam Chaleff, alleges the Tories were in a conflict of interest over the closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West after public lobbying by the Toronto Blue Jays executive to end the practice.
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The Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications.
Torey is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Rogers Control Trust, which “exercises control over the RCI stock held by the Rogers family,” the complaint said.
Torey’s relationship with the late Ted Rogers is long-standing, dating back to his father. Prior to that, the mayor also headed the company’s cable division.
Tory confirmed to reporters in October that he was being compensated for his role in the trust, but said he followed the law strictly every day.
“At all material times, Mayor Tory has had an indirect pecuniary interest in the Toronto Blue Jays, by virtue of his involvement in the Rogers family trusts,” says the complaint, seen by Global News.
The closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West for ActiveTO has become a lightning rod for debate between cyclists and drivers in Canada’s most populous city.
They started in 2020 in response to pandemic lockdowns. The eastern part of the six-lane road was closed over the weekend to allow free access to the coast, a space where residents can exercise and social distance at the same time.
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These closures continued into 2021, albeit less frequently, and occurred twice in 2022: on May 23 and May 29.
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Read more: Rogers CEO outlines new protocols, steps to avoid future network outages
In his letter to Toronto councilors urging them to reverse the closure of ActiveTO on Lake Shore Boulevard West, Mark Shapiro, CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, said the closure is a nightmare for fans.
“On the days ActiveTO was in effect at Lake Shore, our local fans experienced significant transit delays as traffic was backed up to all central routes,” his letter said.
In a report to city council, the city said when the road was closed for ActiveTO on May 23, travel times on the Gardiner Freeway between Highway 427 and York Street increased from 14.5 minutes to 33.6 minutes.
The complaint states that the Tories have in the past declared a conflict of interest on matters and decisions involving Rogers. The complaint estimates this happened on “at least 30 items since March 1, 2019.”
2:03 ActiveTO’s future debated at Toronto City Council ActiveTO’s future debated at Toronto City Council – June 15, 2022
The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, which governs council members, specifies that elected officials must declare any financial interest they have in an item being considered by the council and not participate in any discussion or vote on the subject.
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“This vote was about a city program that the mayor introduced and supported during the pandemic, and it was a very broad public issue involving all road users in the city,” the Tories’ office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The complaint asks Toronto’s integrity commissioner to fast-track the complaint so a decision can be made before the Oct. 24 municipal election.
It also states that if the integrity commissioner concludes that the Tories have violated provincial legislation, the commissioner must refer the case to an Ontario judge.
Global News contacted the city’s integrity commissioner to ask if the complaint had been received and if an investigation would be launched. No response received at the time of publication.
Tory has announced that he will run for a third term as mayor of Toronto. Candidates for rivals include Gil Penalosa and Sarah Climenhaga.
Global News has also reached out to Rogers Communications, the Toronto Blue Jays and the City of Toronto for comment.
— with files from Shallima Maharaj of Global News
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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