The CEO of Waterfront Toronto is dismissing criticism from Mayor Ford suggesting that his agency lacks proper oversight and has recklessly spent taxpayer dollars while under his leadership.
John Campbell sat down with CP24 for a one-on-one interview Friday afternoon, less than a day after Ford called for his resignation over several controversial expenses, including a public washroom built in the Port Lands area at a cost of $600,000.
“A lot of people are critical of us and we encourage them to get the facts,” Campbell said. “We have more oversight than any agency in Canada. We report to three governments, our capital program is blessed by all three governments, designs are done in concert with the city, the individual projects are approved and funded by each government after great scrutiny — it takes six month on average — and then we are audited afterwards. There is absolutely no lack of oversight. I feel sort of like we are living in a fish bowl.”
Waterfront Toronto has been thrust into the spotlight over the last several weeks in the wake of Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong publically criticizing the agency over the $900,000 it spent on 36 pink umbrellas and two large rocks for Sugar Beach four years ago.
On Thursday, Ford told reporters that he has “regularly raised” his concerns regarding the lack of oversight at the agency and has found it “virtually impossible” to get any information direct from Waterfront Toronto.
Campbell, however, told CP24 that the mayor hasn’t even attended a meeting of the board, despite having a de-facto seat at the table. Ford did appoint Coun. Jaye Robinson to sit on the board in his place in 2012, though there was no city representative other than Ford during his previous two years in office.
“It is not appropriate for a public servant to be engaged in a debate with an elected official," Campbell told CP24 when asked whether the mayor should be able to criticize his agency having never attended a meeting. "Our board sent a letter expressing confidence in me and my leadership and I am very appreciative of that."
Waterfront Toronto was created in 2001 with the task of revitalizing Toronto’s lackluster waterfront, which stretches across 800 hectares from Dowling Avenue in the west to Coxwell Avenue in the east.
Speaking with CP24 at city hall Friday morning, Coun. Paula Fletcher said the mayor is wrong to criticize an agency he hasn’t made the effort to learn anything about.
“The mayor can’t have it both ways. You can’t be able to be a board member and not attend then say ‘Oh I didn’t know that happened.’ You can’t do that,” Fletcher said. “The mayor has a job, he has a seat on the board and he didn’t attend.”
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