Guy Giorno does a public service in today’s Globe and Mail with an excellent deconstruction of Toronto’s so-called lobbyist registry regime. Giorno, one of the nastier neocons in former Ontario Premier Mike Harris’ entourage, was never one of my favourites (to say the least), but he is right to inform Torontonians and other Canadians interested in responsible municipal government of the fatal flaws in Toronto’s lobbyist registry.
The background to the registry was a scandal preceding Y2K which cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of unnecessary and improper computer systems expenditures. City councillors and staff alike pursued lobbyists for money and sexual favours. All the grim details were exposed in a public inquiry chaired by Justice Bellamy and which led to the creation of the lobbyist registry. The city’s lack of urgency in addressing the turn-of-the-century problems in its administration has become its own legend of councillors putting self-interest ahead of the public interest.
Mayor Miller must accept responsibility. Last year, in the months leading up to the municipal election, he not only defended the absence of open tendering for the purchase of transit equipment – one of the city’s largest capital investments – to protect the jobs of his trade union buddies and with no regard for whether the city is overpaying. One competitor for the contract argued it could save the city millions on every subway car purchased, but the Mayor and fellow NDP councillors dismissed the offering. The mayor’s contempt for tax-payers seems to know no boundaries.
Now we see the mayor supports a lobbying plan that endorses lobbyists acting as campaign fundraisers for local politicians but prohibits minor transgressions such as helping a councillor out of a snow bank. Only in Toronto! Maybe he is taking his cues from the Prime Minister who has given no priority to implementing the federal Accountability Act despite it having been a key plank in his campaign platform and despite all his whining and moaning while Parliament was giving due diligence to the legislation.
For Torontonians, it’s going to be a long four years until they get an opportunity to send the mayor packing.
The background to the registry was a scandal preceding Y2K which cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of unnecessary and improper computer systems expenditures. City councillors and staff alike pursued lobbyists for money and sexual favours. All the grim details were exposed in a public inquiry chaired by Justice Bellamy and which led to the creation of the lobbyist registry. The city’s lack of urgency in addressing the turn-of-the-century problems in its administration has become its own legend of councillors putting self-interest ahead of the public interest.
Mayor Miller must accept responsibility. Last year, in the months leading up to the municipal election, he not only defended the absence of open tendering for the purchase of transit equipment – one of the city’s largest capital investments – to protect the jobs of his trade union buddies and with no regard for whether the city is overpaying. One competitor for the contract argued it could save the city millions on every subway car purchased, but the Mayor and fellow NDP councillors dismissed the offering. The mayor’s contempt for tax-payers seems to know no boundaries.
Now we see the mayor supports a lobbying plan that endorses lobbyists acting as campaign fundraisers for local politicians but prohibits minor transgressions such as helping a councillor out of a snow bank. Only in Toronto! Maybe he is taking his cues from the Prime Minister who has given no priority to implementing the federal Accountability Act despite it having been a key plank in his campaign platform and despite all his whining and moaning while Parliament was giving due diligence to the legislation.
For Torontonians, it’s going to be a long four years until they get an opportunity to send the mayor packing.
