waterloowarrior
Senior Member
He should.. I was just making a joke about the slow streetcars
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ions-that-boost-their-profile/article1505395/
Toronto councillors spent more than $55,000 in taxpayers' money last year on donations to groups including churches, seniors' clubs, ratepayers' associations and minor sports teams that splash politicians names across their jerseys.
And if the past is any guide, the councillors who made these donations last year will do so again as the Oct. 25 election looms, reinforcing their near-insurmountable incumbent advantage.
"I think these kinds of donations are inappropriate," said Myer Siemiatycki, a municipal politics expert at Ryerson University. "When a municipal councillor gives funds to local ratepayer groups - not from their own pocket, but from taxpayers' pockets - it's a way of boosting the popularity and legitimacy of that incumbent that gives them a tremendous advantage over any challenger."
A little-publicized rule in the city's expense policy lets councillors draw from their $53,100 office budgets to donate to local organizations, including those they might solicit for support come election time. The cheque simply has to be cut before Labour Day in a campaign year, when more stringent financing rules kick in.
When city clerk Ulli Watkiss drafted the most recent version of the councillors' expense policy in 2008, she recommended against allowing such donations, arguing the practice left the city and councillors vulnerable to accusations of favouritism and vote-buying. "There is a public perception that councillors use their ability to make donations or sponsorships to generate goodwill with select community groups and garner support for re-election," Ms. Watkiss warned in a report. "This perception may become especially acute during an election year, and may lead to unnecessary complaints or court challenges."
Councillors ignored that advice and voted themselves permission to donate a maximum of $500 per group per year, down from $600 under the old rules.
In 2009, Councillor Raymond Cho (Ward 42 Scarborough-Rouge River) made more taxpayer-funded donations than any of his colleagues: He gave $4,753.52 to 15 different groups. Michael Walker (Ward 22 St. Paul's) came second with $4,575 to 10 groups and Sandra Bussin (Ward 32 Beaches-East York) was third with $4,405.98 to 20 organizations, including the "Bussin's Blizzards" soccer team and the "Bussin's Blue Jays," T-ball squad, teams she has sponsored for years.
