Ford denies report about inappropriate business dealings

Toronto, Mayor Rob Ford is once again denying a report that he acted inappropriately on behalf of a company his family has business dealings with.
Ford found himself on the defensive Monday afternoon as he spoke with reporters about his transit plan at Don Mills Station.
“I did not – again I don’t know how much clearer I can be – I did not try to expropriate lands or do anything of the sort for Apollo,” Ford told reporters emphatically. “What I encouraged Apollo to do was come and create jobs in the city and I helped them get, I think 120,000 square feet. That’s what I helped them do and that’s what I encourage people to do from all over. I am the person who creates jobs.”

Ford’s comments come the same day The Globe and Mail published an investigation alleging that he asked city staff to look into expropriating privately owned lands to help Apollo Health and Beauty Care, a company with ties to Ford’s own family business, Deco Labels.
The report claims that Ford had a meeting with city staff in June 2011 to explore whether the city could acquire 7,000 square feet of land from Suncor Energy to be used as parking space for Apollo.
Ford and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford have previously faced allegations of inappropriate lobbying at city hall on behalf of clients, including Apollo. The Fords have said they would do the same for any business in the city and that Deco’s client list is too extensive to allow the brothers not to deal with business clients at city hall.
The report quotes several sources who estimate that Apollo’s business is worth about $1 million a year in revenue to the Ford family business.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The city’s integrity commissioner is investigating the relationship between the Fords and Apollo, the paper said.
If the allegations are true, they would constitute a clear violation of city rules, municipal lawyer John Mascarin told CP24.
“Clearly he’s in breach of the Code of Conduct, Article 7 that says you cannot use your influence to benefit business associates, friends. That appears clearly what Mayor Ford did in this case,” Mascarin said.
Mascarin said the actions would be more than a technical violation if found to be true.
“You’ve got a clear conflict of interest, not in the sense of a conflict of interest act, but in the broad scheme of it. He’s clearly attempting to benefit a business associate,” Mascarin said.
Still, he said penalties are unlikely. He also said that any investigation by the integrity commissioner would not emerge until after the municipal election.
“In an election year, the integrity commissioner has to withhold any investigations until after the election,” Mascarin said.
Ford promotes transit plan
Ford called reporters to Don Mills Station in order to promote his transit plan, which calls for extending the Sheppard subway line east to McCowan Road instead of building a light rail line there.
Ford’s $9-billion subway plan also calls for a downtown relief line and burying the entire Eglinton Crosstown line. Currently the Crosstown is only planned to run underground from Keele Street to Laird Drive.
Speaking to reporters, Ford said the $9-billion estimate for his plan is a high estimate and said funding will come from development associated with construction along subway routes.
He also shrugged off suggestions that density along Sheppard is too low to justify a subway line.
“The buildings are going up non-stop and as we build subways the density will come” Ford said.