Mayor Tory should have declared conflict in road closure debate, complaint says

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Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner has been asked to investigate whether Mayor John Tory contravened municipal conflict-of-interest rules when he participated in a city council debate about street closures.

Toronto resident Adam Chaleff said in documents he provided that Tory had an “indirect pecuniary interest” as the Toronto Blue Jays were opposed to closing a section of Lake Shore Blvd. W. to car traffic.

“In May 2022, City Council was asked to consider a proposal to revisit road closures along Lake Shore Boulevard as part of the ActiveTO program,” the complaint says. “In June 2022, the Toronto Blue Jays made clear its opposition to ActiveTO road closures along Lake Shore Boulevard, citing the negative impact that road closures would have on the company’s business at the Rogers Centre.”

Tory is a member of the Rogers Control Trust Advisory Committee and a shareholder in Rogers Communications Incorporated, which owns the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre, the complaint says.

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Tory spokesperson Don Peat said the mayor first learned of Chaleff’s complaint through a media inquiry by the Toronto Star and had not as of Wednesday afternoon received any communication from the Integrity Commissioner.

“This vote was about a city program that the Mayor introduced and championed throughout the pandemic and this was a very broad public issue involving all road users in the city,” Peat said in a statement. “The city staff report made no mention of that organization (the Blue Jays). When the Mayor does have any conflicts, he studiously has declared them and he did not have one in this case.”

ActiveTO shut designated streets to vehicular traffic to allow pedestrians and cyclists to spend time outdoors while socially distancing.

As traffic, construction and large events returned to the streets, the city began getting complaints from many motorists, businesses and even emergency services about lengthy delays in getting around the closed roadways.

Council decided not to close the section of Lake Shore Blvd. W. if it interfered with significant events like the CNE.

aartuso@postmedia.com