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COVER STORY

Miller mayoral mayhem!

by Judi McLeod

February 10, 2003

The ego of Coun. David Miller is costing Toronto taxpayers $15 million.

It was Miller--a registered mayoral candidate for Toronto November municipal elections--who led the move to expand the judicial inquiry into the MFP computer leasing scandal.

The municipal contract between the City of Toronto and MFP Financial Services of Mississauga skyrocketed from $43 million to more than $100 million. The judicial inquiry, expanded on Miller's motion, has jumped from $2 million to $15 million.

For Toronto taxpayers, can it get any worse?

It's already a given that none of the $100 million from the public purse will ever be recovered by the $15 million judicial inquiry into the MFP computer scandal. No one--no matter how damaging his or her testimony--will ever be brought to justice by the inquiry.

"No charges will be laid," David Miller told Toronto Free Press in a telephone interview. "The inquiry is there to get out the facts not to bring them (the guilty) to justice."

"Nobody remembers anything and they're not answering any questions. But (Lawyer) 'Ron Manes is a very thorough questioner,' said Miller.

So far the facts in Madam Justice Denise Bellamy's judicial inquiry have come from a parade of witnesses solidly in the "I-don't-know, "I-can't-remember" category.

Fifteen million dollars seems a lot of money to spend on the acquisition of these kinds of "facts".

In fact, some long-suffering Toronto taxpayers now fear that Miller's antidote is as bad as the poison. Some also suspect that the inquiry was extended for political reasons: To make or break Toronto's next mayor.

"The costs may come in lower than $15 million, but I didn't want there to be any surprises at the end," Miller explained.

That they're already out of pocket more than $100 million, "may come in lower" are not the words that taxpayers want to hear.

If there are no answers forthcoming to questions down at the judicial inquiry, some answers are coming from questions being asked around the office water cooler, the hairdresser and barber shop and from local bars as average Torontonians openly speculate about city hall and corruption.

Until Coun. Bas Balkissoon demanded answers and blew the whistle on the computer leasing contract, no one, save a few, knew anything about deals between the Corporation of the City of Toronto and MFP Financial Services of Mississauga.

Although he led the move to have the judicial inquiry expanded, Miller seems to be diametrically opposed to the views of whistle blower Coun. Balkissoon.

In an earlier interview with TFP, Coun. Balkissoon stated clearly that he feels no councillor is to blame for the computer contract that skyrocketed from $43 million to more than $100 million.

"It was senior staff. Council was truly unaware. Council sets policy. It cannot micro-manage and cannot be expected to micro-manage the business of the city," Balkissoon said.

But Miller maintains that "the people behind the mayor's chair", rather than senior staff are to blame, and that's where the judicial inquiry will ultimately prove its value.

"The backroom people advising Mel. Unelected people, that's what it looks like to me," Miller said.

According to the mayoral candidate, the only way to put a stop to corrupt deal making at city hall is "the truth" and "to show the people of Toronto very publicly what's going on."

When asked whether he felt that John Q. Public would approve of a public inquiry that shot up from $2 million to $15 million with virtually no opportunity of charges being laid or any money being retrieved, Miller replied: "Thank God we know what went on. Now let's elect some people not beholden to them. That's what John Q. Public would say."

The MFP scandal is leaching into other deals made by the current council.

Coun. Michael Walker, says the growing outcry over all the secrecy surrounding the Union Station deal is starting to have an impact on councillors who are starting to realize the possible electoral repercussions from the well-publicized probe of the MFP scandal.

According to the National Post, "Coun. Miller believes that 'secrecy has been the big problem right from the beginning' for the Union Station redevelopment program.

"Miller, a declared candidate for mayor in November's civic vote, is adamant the Union Station deal has to be deferred and reviewed by independent financial investigators to make sure the senior staffers who selected UP Group for the gold medal didn't have someone with the persona of a French figure-skating judge among them."

So far so good. But the Post says Miller was away on vacation when council had a special August meeting to decide which company the city would engage in negotiations.

Coun. Miller doesn't just miss the boat by vacationing. A lawyer by profession, he seems to be too busy for committee duty at council, and unlike many of his council peers, sits on only one standing committee, the Administration Committee.

According to a City Hall description, the Administration Committee is responsible for: "human resources, labour relations, occupational health and safety, access, equity and human rights; information technology and corporate communications; purchasing policies and fleet management; acquisition and disposal of City property; administrative matters of the Treasurer, Solicitor and Clerk."

Although Balkissoon said he supported Miller's motion to extend the inquiry 'wholeheartedly', he also acknowledges the inquiry's potential for publicity for municipal politicians in an election year.

"The media is making him (Miller) the hero," he said.

Balkissoon also credited the whistle blowing of TFP columnist and former City treasury employee Jeff Goodall for early suspicion on the computer scandal.

Goodall, who wrote a letter to city CFO Wanda Liczyk complaining that dozens of staledated cheques in amounts of up to one million dollars were being ignored, was fired after writing about the cheques in a TFP column.

"In retrospect, Jeff's complaints did raise a red flag with me," said Balkissoon.

But if Balkissoon admits that the media is lionizing Miller during the inquiry, the mayoral candidate himself will only admit that the inquiry may be impacting the Toronto mayoral race in a different kind of way.

"For example if they find Tom (Jakobek) had some kind of involvement" Miller said of the former city councillor now registered as Miller's mayoral opponent.

"The inquiry may bring out the truth in its probe of "John Tory kind of people," Miller said of the Rogers Cable executive, who recently, has declared his candidacy for mayor.

Could it be that to mayoral candidate David Miller $15 million would go a long way in knocking out the competition?

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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