Details

The chair of York Regional Council, Wayne Emmerson, tells me he will be seeking a third term in November for the job which paid over $232,379 in 2021 plus generous benefits.

"I will be running for Chair in November. I will be asking York Regional Council to support me."

The Chair is indirectly elected by the 20 Mayors and regional councillors drawn from York Region's nine constituent municipalities. 

Voters have no say

The Wynne Government picked up Chris Ballard's Private Members Bill and put it into law, forcing Regions to elect their chairs by the voters at large. In 2018 Doug Ford reverted to the old method of indirect election -  meaning people had no say in choosing the regional chair.

York Region has a population larger than five Canadian Provinces.

Newmarket-Aurora's newly elected MPP, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, has not expressed a view on whether she favours the election of the regional chair by the voters at large or by the 20 members of the regional council. (Click "read more" below)

Indefensible

Emmerson's vote carries the same weight as members who are directly elected by the voters.

This is indefensible.

In March 2016 I made the argument to a Committee in Queen's Park. The case for direct election is as compelling as ever.

If elected to York Regional Council I would press for the election of the chair by the voters at large.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details

On Aug 18, 2022, at 5:37 PM, Tom Vegh <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> wrote:

Dear Gordon,

Thank you for your emails. If you were a regular constituent I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have on the work I do on Newmarket and York Region Councils on behalf of Newmarket residents. However, as you have declared yourself a candidate in the upcoming municipal election, I am sure you can understand my reluctance to engage with you during the campaign period.

I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Tom

From: Gordon Prentice <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: August 18, 2022 at 9:52:18 PM GMT+1
To: Tom Vegh <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Subject: Re: Campaign contributions from persons known to be associated with the development industry

Hello again Tom

I am grateful for your reply which is, I am afraid, totally inadequate.

You say you will not answer my questions because (a) I am candidate and (b) we are in the campaign period.

This is precisely when you should be engaging with me and explaining your decision to accept developers’ money to fund your campaigns.

Will you give a commitment to join me on a public platform to debate the issues?

I am copying this to Joseph Quigley at Newmarket Today.

Gordon

Sent from my iPad

Details

Running for election shouldn’t be an arms race with the prize going to the candidate who spends the most.

The provisional campaign expense limit for the office of Regional Councillor, calculated by the Town Clerk taking into account the number of electors, is an eye-watering $52,166.50.

I learn I can spend up to $16,098 of my own money.

I have no intention of spending anything close to these stratospheric amounts. My campaign will be light and nimble and frugal. And honest.

The cost of each Vegh vote

I expect to spend a fraction of Tom Vegh’s campaign budget which will be padded out by fat cheques from developers.

In 2018 Vegh’s campaign income totalled $49,489. 

His expenses came in at $45,846. 

And he got 8,570 votes.

Each vote cost him $5.34

Measles

Vegh spent $8,590 on advertising; $25,358 on brochures and flyers and $11,472 on signs which were absolutely everywhere. The Town looked as if it had measles.

But, interestingly, he spent nothing on hosting meetings. No surprises there. Tom Vegh is a man of few words.

In 2018 the voter turnout was a less than stellar 34.7%. 

Here is the result last time:

Tom Vegh:               8,570

Chris Emanuel:       7,952

Joan Stonehocker: 2,688

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Details

After last month’s debate on social media at York Regional Council, I contacted my MP, Tony Van Bynen, on 11 July 2022 asking him to lift the block on his Twitter account which prevents me from reading his Tweets and posting comments. 

I sent him the background materials prepared by the Regional Clerk which recommended that blocking should be a last resort and that members of the Regional Council should be prepared to give reasons for blocking someone. In the event, the recommendation was lost by 13 votes to 8.

This morning Van Bynen gets back to me:

“I have given your request much thought and to be quite honest I do not see any reason that I would change my mind.  Your decision to run for municipal politics does not influence that decision.  I hope you will find the experience of participating in a municipal election rewarding and insightful.”

and I reply: 

“I am very disappointed.

You are my MP and I value your views even though I may not always agree with you.

Can I ask how many constituents you block and for what reasons?”

I find it deeply disappointing that my Member of Parliament freezes me out without giving reasons. 

I don’t bite.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click "Read More" to see my email to Mr Tony Van Bynen MP of 11 July 2022

Details

Money for Nothing. Money for Something.

In 2018 when Tom Vegh first ran for York Regional Council representing Newmarket he took barrowloads of cash from developers to fund his campaign.

That was wrong. 

It is tainted money. And he shouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

In October’s election Tom Vegh should leave the development industry and their enablers well alone.

But it got me wondering, how does it all work? Does Vegh approach individual developers asking for money? Does he plead poverty? Are there emails or letters? Or does the supplicant rely on word of mouth? Or do the developers take the initiative, approaching candidates who may be sympathetic to their interests? I genuinely don’t know how it all works. But Vegh does.

Yesterday, after filing my nomination papers with the Town, I emailed Tom Vegh:

Campaign contributions from persons known to be associated with the development industry

Good afternoon Tom

I hope you are well.

Earlier this afternoon I filed my nomination papers with the Town. I am running for Deputy Mayor/Regional Councillor.

I shall not be soliciting campaign donations from people known to be associated with the development industry nor from the planners and consultants who support them. Neither shall I accept campaign donations from these people even though the money comes from them as individuals and not from their corporations. As you know, corporate donations are now prohibited by law.

In 2018 you accepted campaign contributions from development industry people. But, this time round, I hope you will have second thoughts and join me in rejecting developer donations. 

It is clearly inappropriate for members of the Regional Council, whose bread and butter work involves planning policy, to place themselves under any obligation to those who could materially benefit from the decisions they take as elected members.

I look forward to hearing from you. I am copying this to the press.

Best wishes

Gordon

I shall post his response as soon as I receive it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • You are here:  
  • Home