The Globe and Mail - 13.11.2019

Visiting two of Britain’s unique islands, Orkney and Shetland. Inhabited

over 7000 years ago they have the oldest and best preserved Neolithic

sites in Europe. Today they are a popular tourist destination. Next call

is the remote and picturesque Faroe Islands. Then Iceland, known

as the Land of Fire & Ice. We travel in sophisticated luxury aboard

the 5-star Queen Victoria, view the lava fields, glaciers, whales,

fishing villages, spectacular waterfalls and millions of seabirds.

Visiting Southampton, Lerwick, Akureyri, Ísafjörður, Reykjavík, Tórshavn,

Kirkwall, and Southampton.

COST: from $4886.00 CAD P.P.D. Cat. B.C. Veranda Suite

INCLUDES: 14-night cruise in suite of your choice, all taxes and port fees

Not included: airfare, insurance and items of a personal nature

Faresareperperson,basedondoubleoccupancyandapplytofirsttwopassengers in a State

Room.Faresarecapacitycontrolledbasedonspaceavailability.Government fees and taxes

ofupto$214.88p.p.areincluded.FaresarequotedinCanadiandollars.Seeapplicable

Cunardbrochurefortermsanddefinitionsthatwillapplytoyourbooking.Other restrictions

mayapply.ShipsRegistryBermuda. Tico:

CallAudrey JohnstonCTC, IATM

905.815.9804 • 1.855.837.

237 Church St., Oakville, ON L6J 1N

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE,MEMBER OF

QUEENVICTORIA

BRITISH ISLES & ICELAND

June 19 – July 3, 2020

http://www.seasonsretirement.com

Enjoyaworry-freelifestyle,surrounded

bypeoplewhotrulycare.

WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER13,2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAILO A

vanrijk.com

416-440-012390EglintonAve.E

ROLEX•PATEK•CARTIER

BUY•SELL•TRADE

VAN RIJK

DIAMONDS

Webuy

GOLD

&

SILVER

HAVETHEGLOBE

ANDMAILDELIVERED

TOYOURDOOR

CALL1-8 00 - 3 87- 5400

TGAM.CA/SUBSCRIBE

“As he has said many times before, no one

can buy or unduly influence Doug Ford,”

Ivana Yelich said in an e-mail.

Mr. Ford is planning to attend this year’s

Chief’s Gala on Thursday and will again do-

nate private-dinner opportunities, Ms. Yel-

ich said. He is the first Ontario Premier to

provide such an item for the auction, ac-

cording to Allison Sparkes, a police spokes-

woman.

Allowing wealthy individuals and com-

panies to pay for exclusive audiences with

the Premier risks eroding the public’s faith

in government, even when the money ben-

efits a charity, said Ian Stedman, a lawyer

and government-ethics expert who is do-

ing a PhD at Osgoode Hall Law School.

“It smells funky because it’s a weird way

for the Premier to give people access to

him,” he said. “As a premier, don’t put your-

self in a position where people can look at

you and say, ‘What are you doing? Selling

access? What did you talk about?’ ”

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Demo-

cracy Watch, called the dinners a clear case

of trading cash for access, despite the char-

itable beneficiary. “It’s still giving an op-

portunity for someone to buy access to you

and that’s the problem.”

Ontario Integrity Commissioner J. David

Wake declined comment on the dinners

through a spokeswoman.

However, in previous annual reports,

Mr. Wake urged MPPs to exercise caution

when donating opportunities for face time

to charity fundraisers. He recommended

politicians reserve the right to later turn

down purchasers if meeting with them

would be inappropriate. (Ms. Yelich de-

clined to say whether Mr. Ford contacted

Mr. Wake beforehand or whether he asked

to deny successful bidders if he saw a po-

tential conflict of interest.)

The dinners with Mr. Ford were sold in a

live auction last November after Mr. Ford

gave a speech lauding police. The packages

• for 10 guests at a Toronto steakhouse or
  Italian restaurant – were given a value of
  “priceless” in the item description, which
  noted that lobbyists must register with the
  Office of the Integrity Commissioner.
  After the first three dinners sold quickly
  for $20,000 each, two more packages were
  added, and went for $21,000 each, Ms.
  Sparkes said. A sixth dinner was sold for
  $20,000 several days after the event. How-
  ever, only five meals took place after one
  was cancelled. In all, the dinners raised
  $101,000 out of the event’s total of
  $653,420.
  Other auction items included trips,
  sports games with Chief Mark Saunders
  and fishing expeditions and a lunch with
  federal Minister of Border Security and for-
  mer Toronto police chief Bill Blair. Marie-
  Emmanuelle Cadieux, a spokeswoman for
  Mr. Blair, said he was not lobbied at the
  events, but she declined to release the
  names of the successful bidders. Ms.
  Sparkes said the lunch was sold for $8,
  and two fishing trips went for $5,000 each.
  OnX Enterprise Solutions, which is also

known as OnX Canada, bought a dinner

with Mr. Ford as part of its “charitable con-

tributions” to Victim Services, spokesman

Roger Hamshaw said. He said the Toronto-

based IT company is a proud sponsor of the

Chief’s Gala. OnX president Paul Khawaja

and other employees dined with Mr. Ford

and Chief Saunders on March 20.

In early February, the company hired

lobbyists from Hill+Knowlton Strategies

with the goal of “bringing I.T. solutions to

the government that will stabilize costs, re-

duce spending and improve the experi-

ence of users ofgovernment services,” ac-

cording to the provincial lobbyists’ registry.

Mr. Hamshaw declined to answer ques-

tions about whether OnX executives lob-

bied Mr. Ford at the dinner and whether the

company has hadcontact withgovern-

ment officials since the meal.

Government financial statements for

the 2018-19 fiscal year show three pay-

ments to OnX Enterprise Solutions of be-

tween $111,000 and $116,000 each. Two

contracts, signed in early 2018, were for

ministry software and IT services and the

other payment was for IT purchases for the

Legislative Assembly, officials said.

Another dinner with Mr. Ford was pur-

chased by Michael Kuhl, president of devel-

opment at All Seniors Care Living Centres,

when the company contacted organizers

several days after the fundraiser, Ms.

Sparkes said. That meal took place June 4.

The Toronto-based company, which op-

erates 31 retirement homes in five prov-

inces and is developing several others,

hired Loyalist Public Affairs in August,

2018, to lobby the Ontariogovernment. Its

goal was: “Discuss innovative solutions for

improving healthcare and ending hallway

medicine, including how retirement

homes can play a role in freeing up hospital

beds.” (The relationship was terminated in

August, 2019, according to the lobbyists’

registry.)

Mr. Kuhl did not respond to multiple re-

quests for comment.

Mr. Mizrahi, who is building a luxury

condo and hotel tower in downtown To-

ronto that is slated to become the country’s

tallest skyscraper, had dinner with Mr. Ford

on Jan. 29, accordingto government re-

cords.

The next day, Mr. Mizrahi e-mailed the

Premier’s then-chief of staff to arrange an-

other meeting, in part about Ontario Place.

Less than two weeksearlier,the govern-

ment had said it was accepting proposals to

redevelop the Toronto waterfront property

into a “world-class” entertainment desti-

nation.

“I look forward to our continued vision

in making Ontario and Canada even grea-

ter on the world stage and getting together

again soon to discuss various initiatives in-

cluding Ontario Place,” Mr. Mizrahi wrote.

Mr. Mizrahi did not respond to multiple

requests for comment.

Another dinner was bought by Mina Be-

chai, chief executive of Synoptic Medical

Assessments, which provides expert wit-

nesses for legal cases. Mr. Bechai said he

wanted to support Victim Services, which

helped him after he lost his fiancée and

best friend in car accidents. During his Feb.

26 meal, Mr. Bechai said he and Mr. Ford

shared “personal stories,” but did not dis-

cuss his business.

Colin Taylor, co-founder of aPriori Cap-

ital Partners, a private equity fund manag-

er, said he bought a dinner with the Pre-

mier to support Victim Services and that

his British-based company “has no deal-

ings” with the Ontariogovernment. In the

end, Mr. Taylor was not able to attend the

Oct. 9 meal and police event organizers do-

nated it to others, he said.

In addition, George Friedmann, owner

of the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto,

bought a dinner package with Mr. Ford but

a date could not be found in the time frame

he wanted, he said. The meal was cancelled

and no payment was made.

WithareportfromStephanieChambers

Ford:Premiertoofferprivatedinnersagainatthisyear’sevent

OntarioPremierDougFordstandsbesidePaulKhawaja,presidentofOnXEnterprise

Solutions,atthe2018Chief’sGalafundraiserinToronto.AnOnXspokesmansaidthe

companyboughtadinnerwithMr.FordasameanstodonatetoVictimServices.TWITTER

FROMA

Police and protesters battled out-
side university campuses and
several thousand demonstrators
blocked roads as they took over
a central business district at
lunchtime on Tuesday in anoth-
er day of protest in Hong Kong.
The clashes followed an espe-
cially violent day in Hong Kong’s
five months ofanti-government
demonstrations, in which police
shot one protester and a man
was set on fire.
Protesters littered streets with
bricks and disrupted train ser-
vice during the morning rush
hour on Tuesday. Commuter-
train passengers were escorted
along the tracks, and subways
were shut because of disrup-
tions.
Police used tear gas in faceoffs
with protesters in and around
universities, where classes were
cancelled.
After a standoff outside Chi-
nese University, scores of officers
charged onto the campus after
firing tear gas, arresting student
protesters who tried to block
their way with makeshift barri-
cades, including a burning car.
A few thousand protesters
took over several blocks of the
central business district at lunch-
time. Traffic was blocked on two
major roads by the crowds, with
half a dozen of Hong Kong’s fa-
mous trams lined up unable to
move. The words “Join Us” were
spray painted on the front win-
dow of a halted double-decker
bus abandoned by the driver and
passengers and one of its win-
dows was broken.
Office workers filled the side-
walks and overhead walkways to
watch the action, with some
joining the protesters in chant-
ing.
One 24-year-old man, who
would not give his name, said he
was there to support the protes-
ters and accused the police of us-
ing excessive force, a common
complaint among the city’s 7.
million people.
Police fired tear gas to dis-
perse protesters and onlookers
who were hurling abuse at the
officers. At least one person was
injured when he was struck on
the head by a tear-gas canister.
But protesters returned by eve-
ning and were again blocking
roads with bricks and comman-
deered buses.
Recent weeks have been
marked by escalating vandalism
against shops linked to main-
land China and train stations,
and assaults by both protesters
and pro-Beijing supporters.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam,
speaking to news media after a
weekly meeting with advisers,
called the blocking of the morn-
ing commute “a very selfish act.”
On Monday, a police officer
drew his gun during a struggle
with protesters, shooting one in
the abdomen. In another neigh-
bourhood, a 57-year-old man
was set on fire after an apparent
argument.
Both remained hospitalized
on Tuesday, the shot protester in
serious condition and the man
who was burned in critical con-
dition, the Hospital Authority
said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Protesters,

policefaceoff

inrenewed

clashesin

HongKong

KENMORITSUGUHONGKONG

NEWS |