Court Ruling on Councillors Legal Payouts Good News for Taxpayers
I was pleased to see that the Divisional Court which heard Councillor Holyday’s complaint about Toronto City Council’s decision to pay the legal fees of current members of Council relating to compliance audits. The Court has said the City was wrong to pay out over $140,000 to Councillors who found themselves challenged in the legality of their conduct as candidates.
We all know Councillors have a number of advantages when running for re-election and sadly far too many are prepared to abuse taxpayer funds to fight to keep their jobs at election time. This leads to voters essentially being forced to fund incumbents efforts to attempt to prevent meaningful opposition from challenging them.
As a city we’re lucky voters are reaching a boiling point and ready to make the changes that improper use of City funds can’t stop. It will be interesting to see how many Councillors, who ignored the City’s top lawyers legal advice to them when they voted to fund Councillor’s legal expenses, will flip their votes just before the election to try to look like their on the taxpayer’s side now. That will be the best indication of just how vulnerable they are feeling.
I know in my ward residents are ready to break with the last four years and elect a new voice that will stand up and fight for our community. It’s important residents city wide back candidates who are going to act in their best interest, defend their communities and focus on the city and its residents and not lining their own pockets.
In just three months residents will have the ballot boxes to make these decisions, and if we do our job we won’t need the courts to police the next Council as well.
