A small town in eastern Ontario has seen its plans to hire a well-connected lobbying firm to help it net infrastructure funding fall apart after comments from councillors about “backroom” conversations with an administration that “talks to their friends” were used to “embarrass” the Ford government.
The town of Brighton, Ont., between Cobourg and Belleville, had planned to hire Atlas Strategic Advisors to help it lobby for help with upgrades to its water treatment facility worth tens of millions of dollars.
Comments made by councillors during a meeting, however, were used by opposition parties at Queen’s Park to suggest the Ford government favoured insiders.
The plan was quickly cancelled.
Brighton’s mayor — who maintains that lobbyists can achieve different objectives to politicians — said the comments were “regrettable,” after spending much of Thursday apologizing to the provincial government.
Council meeting
At a Monday, May 6, meeting of Brighton council, city staff recommended retaining Atlas Strategic Advisors to push its expensive wastewater upgrade project.
The town was applying for funding through a provincial grant pool worth a total of $825 million. Staff suggested that with “many municipalities applying” for the funding, it had to make “extensive” efforts to ensure it secured its share.
Bureaucrats recommended hiring Atlas, which is run by a former Ford government staffer, Amin Massoudi. Among other credentials, Massoudi served as Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s principal secretary from June 2019 to August 2022 and as deputy chief of staff for a year before that.
The company’s website describes Massoudi as “at the epicentre of Ontario’s political landscape,” referencing his work for Ford and former Toronto mayor John Tory.
Councillors in Brighton — who voted to enter into a deal with Atlas Monday — agreed Massoudi and his firm’s connections with government were key to pushing forward their infrastructure needs.
“Put plain and simple, it’s (a) lobbyist to work the backroom, we’re not acquiring them for their technical expertise,” Coun. Byron Faretis said during the meeting.
“I think we need that sort of eyes, ears and feet on the ground in Queen’s Park to make sure that we don’t get dropped from the list. I applaud this effort, I support this effort.”
He said his “only disappointment” with the plan to hire Atlas was that it “would have been nice if one of them had been a former chief of staff to the premier” to push the town’s projects forward.
Another councillor agreed Atlas’ connections could be important.
“As much as it sometimes burns me that this government sometimes talks to their friends more than to other folks, might as well work for us from time to time,” Coun. Jeff Wheeldon said.
Both councillors directed interview requests from Global News to the mayor.
Backlash and cancellation
Opposition politicians at Queen’s Park were quick to jump on the comments, first reported in the Brighton Community Gazette. They accused the government of favouring political “insiders” and forcing municipalities to turn to lobbyists to be heard.
“Despite the minister’s denials, this government has clearly sent the memo out — and municipalities and others across the province have clearly gotten it — that if you want anything done by this government, you have got to pay their insider friends,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.
Liberal MPP John Fraser said the “wealthy and well-connected” get things done in Ontario.
Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander said Atlas withdrew its services from the town after the comments were made and the backlash that followed, with the mayor suggesting the company may be worried about damage to reputations.
Ostrander said he spent “a good deal” of Thursday on the phone with people, including Labour Minister David Piccini, apologizing.
Global News reached out to Atlas and Massoudi by email but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Despite the comments around Brighton’s council table, Housing Minister Paul Calandra dismissed the idea that hiring lobbyists would get municipalities to the front of the line.
He said those that had hired lobbyists to speak to the government should “reconsider” the plan which he said wasn’t an “effective use” of taxpayer money.
“I think if you’re hiring a lobbyist to come talk to us, you’re wasting your money,” Calandra told reporters.
Mayor says comments ‘regrettable’
Speaking to Global News on Thursday, Mayor Ostrander said it was “regrettable” that the meeting he chaired had been used to “embarrass” the provincial government.
While Ostrander said he is able to call cabinet ministers or even the premier to advocate for Brighton, a lobbyist would be able to get the attention of staff potentially working on the application Brighton has submitted.
“That’s what we would depend on the lobbyists to do,” he said.
“I think when the term ‘backroom’ was used, that was the intention, it was to say we need someone at the provincial staffing level to communicate what we can’t through, I guess what we call the front door, which is the political level.”
Ostrander didn’t shy away from the idea that Atlas’ relationships were what made it an appealing option for the small municipality to put its needs to the government.
“It’s nice to have conversations with people who don’t have relationships with the sitting government but it’s not very effective if you’re trying to get $23 million out of them,” he said.
“Let’s be frank about this: we wanted a firm that could engage with the folks we needed engagement with, otherwise we’re just having pleasant conversations.”
The mayor said he didn’t think the town would look to appoint another lobbying firm to replace Atlas now it has withdrawn its services.