Ford says he’ll repay city for cards
Rene Johnston news service
Mayor Rob Ford, under criticism for outsourcing the printing of business cards for himself and his staff to his family’s printing firm, now says he will repay the city.
Ford’s press secretary Adrienne Batra told reporters Monday that Ford will give the city clerk’s office a cheque for $1,579.15 to cover the cost of 20,600 business cards printed by Deco Label & Tags.
Ford’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford, defended the outsourcing as recently as Sunday, saying critics were “picking small hairs” when they should focus on money the mayor saved the city by getting councillors to reduce their office budgets and his own.
The clerk’s office said yesterday morning that Ford’s cheque had not yet arrived.
The Star revealed Friday that Ford outsourced the printing to the firm owned by his family, and directed the city to pay the invoice from his office budget.
Chris MacDonald, a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto’s Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics, said the mayor directing city business to his family company is “an actual, bona fide conflict of interest.”
Under the city’s expense policy, councillors can choose an outside printer. There doesn’t appear to be an explicit rule against directing the business to a firm in which they have an interest.
Ford’s press secretary Adrienne Batra told reporters Monday that Ford will give the city clerk’s office a cheque for $1,579.15 to cover the cost of 20,600 business cards printed by Deco Label & Tags.
Ford’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford, defended the outsourcing as recently as Sunday, saying critics were “picking small hairs” when they should focus on money the mayor saved the city by getting councillors to reduce their office budgets and his own.
The clerk’s office said yesterday morning that Ford’s cheque had not yet arrived.
The Star revealed Friday that Ford outsourced the printing to the firm owned by his family, and directed the city to pay the invoice from his office budget.
Chris MacDonald, a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto’s Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics, said the mayor directing city business to his family company is “an actual, bona fide conflict of interest.”
Under the city’s expense policy, councillors can choose an outside printer. There doesn’t appear to be an explicit rule against directing the business to a firm in which they have an interest.
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