Last week, Justice Denise Bellamy released her reports on the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry and the Toronto External Contracts Inquiry. While the tone and the explicitness of a few of her findings might have surprised some, it is doubtful that the end results did. Bellamy found that a councillor had accepted a $25,000 payoff, that a senior bureaucrat had openly advertised that he could be bought and that contracts were entered into on the basis of personal and sexual relationships. In other words, there was corruption at Toronto City Hall.
There have been indications that the wheeling, dealing and socializing that led up to the transactions between the city and MFP in the late 1990s has not changed. as Justice Bellamy noted in her report, it was only last January, while these inquiries were proceeding, that a group of Toronto City Councillors were wined, dined and treated to a Toronto Raptors basketball game by the Greater Toronto Watermain Contractors association. The attendees at this freebee saw nothing wrong with accepting this gift.
Do these councillors somehow think that they are being treated to a basketball game with all the trimmings because they're just such nice people to be around? It's obvious to anyone, except for those who were the guests of the contractors that the association wants something from city hall. The perks and freebees are such a part of life at Toronto City Hall that the politicos simply can't do without.
It is somewhat ironic that the attendance at a sporting event was one of the things that led to findings of corruption against former budget chief Tom Jakobek. a lot was made of the fact that Jakobek went to a hockey game in Philadelphia as a guest of hair-dresser turned MFP salesman, Dash Domi. This seemed to be important in the final findings that were made against Jakobek. But apparently this outing to the air Canada Centre back in January was okay for those who took advantage of it. Maybe home games are permissible but not away games. Perhaps free basketball games are alright but free hockey games are not . It's a safe bet that the councillors who went can rationalize how their behaviour was proper and above board whereas Jakobek's smacked of corruption.
Some of the councillors have publicly stated that accepting a certain amount of wining and dining is okay. Councillor Jane Pitfield told 640 Radio's John Oakley that when it comes to freebees she knows when to stop. Much like alcohol, accepting benefits from those looking to do business with the city is fine in moderation. What nonsense!.These gifts will not affect any decision that she makes according to the councillor. Should Pitfield ever make a decision that was beneficial to someone who wined and dined her within her limits, whatever those are, it would be impossible to know how much the meals or other freebees affected her decision. But Pitfield, like many of her fellow councillors, use this type of rationalization to keep accepting what they believe is rightfully theirs. It's shameful.
Even if the acceptance of free gifts, meals and basketball games did not in fact affect a decision that was subsequently made by council, there is always the perception that the councillors have been bought. But councillors care very little about what their constituents think of them. and besides, you cannot eat or drink 'perceptions'.
Councillor Rob Ford revealed that during the summer, all of the councillors received brand new copiers/fax/printers. The price tag for each one was $4,700, a lot more than Ford's own $150 fax machine that he said he was quite happy with. Probably this expenditure could be justified on the grounds that City Hall needs those super duper printers to go with their $100 million computers that they leased from MFP. While councillors should not have to make due with old machinery like the frugal Ford likes, there is absolutely no reason why each and every councillor needed a new $4,700 machine. The money spent for these machines was excessive and a further indication that both the bureaucracy and the politicians have little regard for the taxpayers' money. Spending money when cost is no object is what led to the MFP scandal in the first place. Toronto City Hall has absolutely no regard for the interests of the taxpayers. It's shameful.
after Justice Bellamy's report, Mayor David Miller feigned anger and spoke about how the MFP incident offended him 'to the core of my person', yada, yada, yada. Yet this irresponsible spending and the taking of perks and freebees are going on all around him. If he and his broom had been serious he would have stopped the councillors from being wined and dined and accepting gifts when he first came into office.
Toronto City Hall prides itself on multiculturalism and how many diverse cultures there are in the city. and in David Miller's Toronto, multiculturalism obviously includes the culture of corruption.
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