Expense policy fails on regional info flyers

Events continue to demonstrate the need for Niagara Region to update its councillor expense policy.

The latest incident involves the use of councillor information flyers, paid for by regional taxpayers through individual council representatives’ expenses, which appear like election advertising.

This practice by some members of council came to light at the May 14 City of Port Colborne council meeting, where local councillors criticized regional Coun. David Barrick’s use of his flyer to essentially try and cast a bad light on his lower-tier brethren while painting a rosey picture about the Region’s finances and his role.

The double-sided flyer titled “A message from David Barrick” points to his leadership as budget chair over the past four-year term during which the upper-tier government kept tax increases at an average of 1.48 per cent per year. Barrick then contrasts this with increases at the city level, which were at an average of 5.55 per cent a year. The flyer also includes bar graphs showing the difference between the city’s and Region’s tax increase, increases in public debt, water and wastewater bill increases, and water infrastructure investment.

The issue came up at the Region’s corporate services committee meeting, where St. Catharines Coun. Brian Heit questioned not only Barrick’s use of the flyers, but also flyers circulated by Couns. Tony Quirk of Grimsby and Sandy Annunziata of Fort Erie.

Quirk, Barrick and Annunziata have all defended their use of regional funds for publication and delivery of the flyers, saying they’re an important tool that can be used to communicate with constituents.

“I think the residents of Fort Erie are very appreciative of knowing the good work this council has done, especially with projects in Fort Erie and the region as a whole,” Annunziata said. “I know my constituents are very grateful when they are updated with any flyer that goes out there.”

Quirk had a similar response.

He said he has nothing to hide and that he authorized the flyer. He had them printed and distributed, and then expensed the exercise when the Region’s communications shop couldn’t meet his deadline.

“The cost was $1,500 to distribute 10,000 of them,” Quirk said. “It is the same thing my predecessor did when she published newspaper ads and expensed them back to the Region. I used the past practice as best practice.”

Heit wants regional staff to report back with details on who authorized the preparation of the flyers as well as the cost. He also wants to know who approved the distribution and the associated cost and whether the councillors used their expenses to have the public foot the bill.

To be clear, use of the flyers does not appear to violate the Region’s expense policy. And that’s part of the problem. The policy needs to be revisited.

The content of the flyers is clearly self-congratulatory and is being circulated at public expense in the run-up to this fall’s municipal election.

Barrick’s flyer for instance casts the shadow of blame on Port Colborne while failing to mention anything about his work on the Niagara police services board which is running a $7-million deficit and which approved the questionable buyout of former police chief Jeff McGuire.

His flyer also seems to be a political slam against members of the lower-tier council which has been critical of the police board and Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, where Barrick works.

The flyers appear to be yet more political nonsense, aimed at discrediting opponents and boosting the profile and resumes of the municipal politicians who had them created at taxpayers’ expense.

It’s still over five months until municipal voters cast their ballots in the Oct. 22 election.

And if this is any indication of how the campaign is going to unfold, it is going to be an exhausting exercise.