A government watchdog organization has filed a complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner, alleging that Mayor Ford and his councillor brother Doug violated council’s code of conduct by lobbying city bureaucrats on behalf of two companies with ties to their family business.
A Globe and Mail report earlier this month alleged that the Ford brothers helped Donnelley and Sons arrange meetings with city bureaucrats as the Chicago-based company made an unsolicited pitch to obtain the printing contract for the City of Toronto in 2011. The report claimed that the efforts were made while Donnelley and Sons was arranging to refer clients to the Ford family business Deco Labels and Tags, a conflict which was not declared by either Doug or Rob Ford.
In a separate report published two years ago, the Globe and Mail also alleged that the Ford brothers lobbied bureaucrats on behalf of Apollo Health and Beauty Care when the company was under investigation for a sewage spill in 2012, failing to reveal that company was a client of Deco Labels and Tags.
Both reports are mentioned in the complaint.
“This situation raises questions about whether the Fords are trying to get on the so called gravy train themselves indirectly by helping businesses that do business with their business,” Duff Conacher, a board member with Democracy Watch who filed the complaint, told CP24.com Friday morning. “This is really the third most serious wrongdoing you can do while in office. Number one would be straight up stealing or taking a bribe, number two would be directly helping your business by awarding contracts to it or something like that and number three is indirectly helping your business.”
If Integrity Commissioner Janet Leiper finds that the Fords did violate the code of conduct, a formal reprimand from council or a suspension of up to 90 days could be handed down.
That said in order for a penalty to be issued, council would have to vote to accept the integrity commissioner’s report by the last meeting of this term, scheduled for Aug. 26.
“In part, this just reveals the weaknesses of the enforcement system,” Conacher told CP24.com. “This should be a very significant fine and a very significant suspension but the worst they will face is a reprimand or a suspension and they may not even face that.”
Neither Doug or Rob Ford have commented on their actions on behalf of Donnelley and Sons, though Doug Ford previously told the Globe and Mail that he was "transparent" in advocating on behalf of Apollo Health and Beauty Care and would have done the same for any company in their position.
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