Toronto’s integrity commissioner has cleared mayor John Tory after a conflict-of-interest complaint was submitted over his role in the end of a road closure program along the city’s waterfront.
In July, a complaint was submitted alleging that as a member of the Rogers Communications board — which owns the Toronto Blue Jays — Tory had a conflict of interest when he voted to end road closures on Lake Shore Drive West.
The road closure program — called ActiveTO — began during the pandemic as a city initiative to help get residents outside.
The eastbound portion of the six-lane road was shuttered on weekends to allow open access to the waterfront, a space where residents could exercise and social distance at the same time.
Those closures continued during 2021 although less frequently and happened twice in 2022: on May 23 and May 29.
As pandemic measures waned, the waterfront portion of ActiveTO proved to be controversial as traffic and congestion returned.
In a summer letter to Toronto councillors urging them to scrap ActiveTO on Lake Shore Boulevard West, Mark Shapiro, CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, said the closures were a nightmare for fans.
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“On the days when ActiveTO has been in effect on Lake Shore, our local fans have experienced significant transit delays because traffic is grinded to a halt on all downtown routes,” his letter said.
When Tory weighed in — and voted on — the issue, activist Adam Chaleff alleged there was a financial conflict of interest due to Tory’s place on the Rogers’ board.
While Toronto’s integrity commissioner agreed Tory “had a pecuniary interest in the agenda item as he is a director in Rogers family ownership structure,” he found it was “too remote” to require a declaration.
The integrity commissioner said that conclusion was reached because “my inquiry found ActiveTO road closures had no adverse effect on the Blue Jays’ financial interests.”
He said the complaint, however, did raise “a question as to whether he had a conflict of interest,” causing him to investigate.
Tory’s connection to the late Ted Rogers is a longstanding one that dates back to his father. The mayor also previously ran the company’s cable division.
Tory confirmed to reporters previously that he receives compensation for his role on the trust but said he has abided by the law scrupulously every day.
“At all material times, Mayor Tory had an indirect pecuniary interest in the Toronto Blue Jays, by virtue of his involvement with the Rogers family trusts,” the original complaint said.
However, Toronto’s integrity found there was no evidence of “direct or indirect communication, consultation and coordination between the Blue Jays and Mayor Tory.”
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