The man at the head of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation remains in charge following a meeting amid new allegations concerning his conduct.
The board of the TCHC met Tuesday night regarding the conduct of CEO Eugene Jones.
“No decisions were made tonight, and it was an information gathering session only,” Bud Purves, chair of the TCHC, said following the meeting which took place at TCHC headquarters on Yonge Street.
Purves, who described the meeting as a “good discussion,” said that board members would be meeting again Thursday morning.
According to a report in the Toronto Star, the board has called in a law firm to investigate two anonymous allegations against Jones.
The first allegation is that Jones fired newly hired Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Llewellyn-Thomas and gave her a severance payment while claiming that she had resigned.
The second allegation is that Jones’ office worked to keep his executive assistant off the Sunshine List for public servants despite the fact that she made in excess of $100,000.
Purves confirmed that the board was discussing two specific allegations, but would not specify what they were.
“We’ll be issuing a statement when we get around to resolving these facts that are coming before us and a course of action is taken,” he said. “And that’s what we’re working towards.”
Discussing the allegations at city hall earlier Tuesday, Mayor Rob Ford said he continues to support Jones and cautioned city residents against rushing to conclusions.
“I support Eugene 100 per cent. He has done a phenomenal job and I would like these people to come forward and show me the allegations,” he said. “If they can prove it and there is criminal wrongdoing that’s a different situation but as of now I support Eugene Jones.”
Ford initially told reporters that Jones would not be dismissed as long as he was mayor, but he later corrected himself and said that it would ultimately be up to the board.
Jones joined the Toronto Community Housing Corporation in 2012 after a stint at the Detroit Housing Commission.
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