Toronto port authority must be audited

TORONTO – In a letter to the Auditor General Sheila Fraser on Friday, New Democrat GTA Issues Critic Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina) asked her to conduct an audit of the management and governance of the Toronto Port Authority.

Four of the nine Toronto Port Authority Board members filed the original misconduct complaints against other members in May of 2008. More recently, complaints were filed with the Minister of Transport, John Baird in March.

The complaints include repeated political interference from the Minister’s office; repeated examples of conflict of interest being ignored by some members; expenses being paid without appropriate knowledge or authority of the board; and ignoring standing policy to pay $65,000 to a law firm retained by a few board members who then held onto the legal advice exclusively.

"We know Mr. Baird pays close attention to the Toronto Port Authority,” said Chow. “In order to cover up alleged management violations of former CEO Lisa Raitt, he changed the constitution of the Board from seven to nine members. That is why I appeal to the Auditor General to conduct an audit of the Toronto Port Authority.”

The call for this investigation comes on the heels of revelations that current Minister of Natural Resources, Lisa Raitt filed almost $80,000 in travel expenses while in her previous role as Toronto Port Authority CEO, all while the Toronto Port Authority was running a deficit. This information, together with minutes of the Board and other critically important information, was sealed. Chow obtained this information only after a question in the House of Commons.

“Ever since control of the Toronto Port Authority was taken away from the City of Toronto by the federal government, it has a history of questionable behaviour and this is just the latest example,” said Chow. “It is time we give the land and the management of its port back to the City of Toronto.”

Her Private Members Bill to do exactly that will be tabled in the House of Commons this Wednesday, June 10.