[URBAN NOTE] "Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion conflict of interest case dismissed"

[rfmcdonald]

The National Post reports that the political career of nonagenarian Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion has survived a conflict-of-interest case.

Justice John Sproat overturned an application asking him to remove Ms. McCallion, 92, from office. The application alleged that in 2007, Ms. McCallion breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest act when she voted on a bylaw amendment that would have saved her son’s development company millions of dollars.

The judge says he found McCallion was “wilfully blind” to her son’s development company proposal when she took part in a regional council vote in 2007.

However, Justice John Sproat says McCallion’s “deemed financial interest” in the vote was insignificant and unlikely to influence her vote.

Ms. McCallion, flanked by her lawyers Elizabeth McIntyre and Freya Kristjanson defended her actions to reporters and said that she will be prepared in the event Elias Hazineh, the Mississauga resident who brought forward the allegations, files an appeal.

Taking issue with the judge’s opinion that she should have made more inquiries into the status of her son’s building application, Ms. McCallion said she avoided opening up the issue to prevent that information from influencing her discussions with city council.

The mayor also announced her plans to request that Premier Kathleen Wynne consider amending the conflict of interest act, strengthening the grounds on which an applicant can request a review.