The Toronto External Contracts Inquiry is a
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
inquiry
An inquiry (also spelled as enquiry in British English) is any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a treatment of the ...
into allegations of
conflict of interest around contracts entered into by
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
's municipal government in 1998 and 1999.
It is a follow-up to the city's earlier
Computer Leasing Inquiry, and is investigating three other questionable contracts. However, as with the earlier inquiry, the External Contracts Inquiry is commissioned by Madam Justice
Denise Bellamy
Denise Bellamy is a Canadian judge best known for leading an inquiry into a corruption scandal in the City of Toronto government.
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and raised in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Bellamy obtained a B.A. in Political Scienc ...
of the
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
The Superior Court of Justice (French: ''Cour supérieure de justice'') is a superior court in Ontario. The Court sits in 52 locations across the province, including 17 Family Court locations, and consists of over 300 federally appointed judges.
...
.
The External Contracts Inquiry was established by Toronto City Council on October 1, 2002, as an expansion of the Computer Leasing Inquiry. It began hearings on October 18, 2004, after the Computer Leasing Inquiry ended.
TMACS
The first contract investigated by the External Contracts Inquiry involved the city's tax and billing management system.
On January 1, 1998, the city of Toronto and its five suburban cities (
Scarborough,
North York
North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a p ...
,
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
,
East York
East York is a former administrative district and municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toron ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...
) were amalgamated into the single
"megacity" of Toronto.
During the amalgamation process, the six municipal governments had to merge their computer systems. Five of the municipalities used a system called TXM, while North York used a system called TMACS. North York's treasurer,
Wanda Liczyk, was the sole voice in favour of adopting TMACS for the amalgamated city, and when she subsequently became treasurer of the "megacity", she implemented TMACS without consulting city council.
TMACS was developed for North York's city government by two
American software consultants, David Maxson and Michael Saunders. Testimony before the inquiry has confirmed that from 1989 to 1991, Saunders and Liczyk had a personal romantic relationship.
Although their relationship ended before Saunders was contracted by the city of Toronto, city staff have testified that Liczyk and Saunders still had a close friendship. In her testimony to the inquiry, Liczyk has acknowledged that her relationship with Saunders may have created the appearance of favouritism in her decisions involving Saunders. However, in response to suggestions that she should have declared a
conflict of interest and recused herself from such decisions, Liczyk has testified that she is able to separate personal and business matters.
It has also been testified that Saunders was often rude and abrasive to city staff.
Other Contracts
Two other city contracts will be investigated by the Inquiry. Testimony around these contracts has not yet been presented.
References
{{reflist
External links
Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry, and The Toronto External Contacts Inquiry
External Contracts Inquiry
Ontario political scandals