Toronto council meeting gets heated over preferred-candidates list

After a series of heated debates that lasted nearly all day, Toronto city council unanimously voted to approve a list of recommendations on the public appointments process from its ombudsman .

Councillors voted  42-0 to accept Fiona Crean’s report, which recommended that public appointments be brought together in one office, that a procedure for reporting conflicts of interest be created and that the city should make more of an effort to recruit from diverse communities.

Crean had examined the city’s public appointments process, concluding the mayor’s office interfered with the process. She later released a list of preferred candidates for public appointments which came from Mayor Rob Ford’s staff.

She recently released a scathing report which accused Ford’s office of tampering with the process that appoints civilians to city boards and agencies.

After her September report, she followed up with confirmation that the mayor’s staff had a list of preferred candidates for public appointments. The list came to Crean after she released her report and wasn’t included in her investigation.

On Wednesday, it was sent to the city manager’s office and released to councillors at the request of Coun. Pam McConnell.

“Members of this council flat out denied the existence of any list,” Coun. Gord Perks said earlier at the meeting.

“Now the ombudsman has come to us and produced the list, showing that the appointments this council made to the police services board, the libraries, port authority and other agencies may well have been compromised — that the mayor of this city may have violated the rules under which politicians are allowed to put forward a candidate.

“What was this list for? Was the civic appointments process corrupted? Was there a problem? There’s only one person who can answer that question and he’s not here. That’s the mayor.”

The mayor’s brother, Coun. Doug Ford, defended the list, which he said was compiled in a transparent way.

“This is political. It’s sheer politics,” he said.

“I was on the committee, and … I don’t know these people.  I’ve never met ‘em. But I will not apologize for appointing fiscally-conservative people to this city.”

Coun. Adam Vaughan said that of 18 public appointees, 13 came off the mayor’s list, including three lobbyists, former Conservative insiders and someone who was singled out at a coffee shop for ranting about how many libraries there were in the city. That person was appointed to the library board.

 “If this doesn’t smack of cronyism, what in hell does?” Vaughan said.

“It’s the 1,700 people who applied in good faith to sit and serve on committees at this city — they deserve an apology because they deserve that open process that followed the rules and that assessed their credentials fairly.”

Though Crean pointed out it was her duty to share the information and she was making no accusations — which would be outside her jurisdiction — Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti also called her actions political.

“My question to you is ‘Why the big kerfuffle about this list from your office?'” he asked Crean.

“To yet add something else to your report — which I’ve got concerns about — and bring it forward yet again to council and drag this thing again out in a political way.”

When Coun. Mike Layton objected to his comments, Mammoliti confronted him.

“I’m sorry. Did I upset you Coun. Layton? Are you gonna wanna beat me up too?” Mammoliti said. “You’re dressed like a creep like usual.

“Happy Halloween. A wonderful witch hunt here on Halloween.”

When council resumed from break, they debated a slew of member motions relating to ward-specific liquor licenses and Ontario Municipal Board hearings.

Councillors also voted in favour of a motion by Coun. Doug Holyday to offer help to New York City in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  

They then resumed debate of the controversial public appointments policy.

“I find [Wednesday’s] morning’s conduct of this council reprehensible,” Coun. David Shiner said.

“Every mayor has had his input and gave his suggestion as to who he might want to see on particular committees. That’s what mayors are expected to do,” he argued.

“It’s a waste of time…we need to get on with the business of council,” Shiner said. Shiner moved to receive the motion, but several councillors were scheduled to speak first.

Coun. Anthony Perruzza pointed out that every member of council has favoured candidates for public committees, saying “the process isn’t perfect. Everybody understands that,” but added that in this case, some members of council crossed the line.

The ombudsman pointed out those “peculiarities,” he said.

“Let’s accept [Crean’s] recommendations and move on.”

Coun. Frances Nunziata, the chair of appointments committee, apologized to those who had been named to the boards for the “insults” that had been given to them by members of council.

“These are qualified candidates – for us to be debating that, is an insult,” Nunziata said.

The ombudsman’s report did not address or examine if the candidates were qualified. The ombudsman looked at the appointments process, and if the mayor’s office interfered with the process.

Nunziata also said former mayor David Miller had undue influence on boards, which several councillors disputed.

Vaughan asked for the allegation to be withdrawn.

Other council matters

On Tuesday, councillors voted to extend Crean’s term by two years, rather than reinstate her for another five-year term. Her current term expires Nov. 16, 2003.

There are some other big items on the agenda, including a vote on a proposed deal between the city and the provincial transit agency Metrolinx on the new light-rail transit (LRT) lines set for Eglinton, Sheppard Avenue East, Finch Avenue West and along the Scarborough RT route.

Metrolinx wants control over construction but some city councillors, including Perks, fear the deal gives the provincial agency too much say in how many LRT stations will be built and how far apart they’ll be.

Councillors will also debate whether to punish Mayor Ford for “denigrating the professional reputation” of Toronto’s medical officer of health on his talk radio show.

Integrity commissioner Janet Leiper says the mayor and his brother breached the city’s code of conduct for councillors last spring when they criticized Dr. David McKeown’s report called Road to Health: Improving Walking and Cycling in Toronto that called for lower speed limits on city streets.

Debate over the complaints may be held off until the mayor’s conflict of interest case, involving his private football charity, wraps up in court.

Wednesday’s meeting at city hall will end early, at 4:30 p.m., for Halloween and will continue on Thursday morning.

“It’s not about us as a council. It’s about the kids and the neighbourhood. It’s about coming together as a community. It’s about, actually, a holiday I think we all can convene around,” Coun. Karen Stintz said while defending her Halloween request in council Tuesday.

Several councillors wanted to speak to the issue. Finally, Coun. Ford said: “This is ridiculous … let’s just vot
e. We’re either leaving or we’re staying.”

With files from Shawne McKeown