In being ordered Tuesday to vacate his seat as Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford serves as an example to politicians who are thinking of voting on a topic in which they have a conflict of interest.
Ford was told he needs to leave his seat as mayor within two weeks, after Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles T. Hackland said Ford violated provincial conflict of interest rules.
He was found guilty of fundraising $3,150 for his football charity through city resources. He then participated in a vote that absolved him of paying the money back to the city.
The case is similar to the lawsuit that Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz is facing for allegedly spending about $3,000 of taxpayer money on a dinner for his staff at Hu’s Asian Bistro, which is a restaurant he owned at the time.
That case is still in the courts.
What is surprising is that many politicians who are in conflict of interest say they aren’t aware of the rules.
But it’s pretty basic, and it requires no investigation of any community charter, just common sense.
The rule says if a member of council has an interest in a matter that is being addressed by council, that member has to leave the room, and they certainly can’t vote.
Not knowing this basic part of the job in a public position is tantamount to a journalist being able to spell “ethical breach.”
During my time as the civic affairs reporter for the Saint City News in St. Albert, Alta., various members of council left the room in respect of their ethical duty.
While I have only been covering Merritt City council meetings for the past two months, I haven’t noticed a vote to which a councillor had a conflict of interest.
But if such a vote were to occur, I would be taking my notes vigourously to ensure that no councillor got away with voting on a motion to which they have a conflict of interest.
Politicians have an obligation to taxpayers to remain objective when it comes to voting, so that motions are made for the community and not for the individual politician. This is an ethical duty and it is the most important aspect of taking the Declaration of Oath of Office.
