A respected national watchdog group is asking the city integrity commissioner to investigate the Ford brothers over possible conflicts of interest in lobbying senior bureaucrats on behalf of business associates.

Democracy Watch has filed an affidavit with integrity chief Janet Leiper urging her to probe whether Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Councillor Doug Ford breached city council’s code of conduct, a violation that could earn the Etobicoke politicians a public reprimand or up to 90 days’ suspension.

The allegations stem from media reports showing that the Fords rallied top city officials to help Apollo Health and Beauty Care when the company was under investigation for a sewage spill in 2012. The Ford family business, Deco Labels and Tags, had produced labels for Apollo in the past.

The mayor and his brother are also alleged to have helped printing behemoth RR Donnelley and Sons solicit a contract from City Hall while the company was arranging to refer clients to Deco in 2011.

Doug Ford has denied that his family’s intervention in the Apollo case was a conflict, saying he and the mayor help many businesses in need. Councillor Ford did not respond to questions posed to him by the Globe and Mail about the apparent Donnelley conflict.

But Duff Conacher, who filed the affidavit on behalf of Democracy Watch, said he believes both instances represent clearly “improper” uses of political influence.

“It’s implied that you’re doing them a favour, and that they might do you a favour,” he said Thursday.

Conacher also said he hopes the probe will reveal the relative weakness of Toronto’s integrity commissioner, which cannot initiate investigations on its own and can only recommend punishments for council to approve.

“Often Democracy Watch’s complaints end up being about how weak the system is … and the system is weak,” he said.

Leiper was investigating allegations earlier this year that Mayor Ford used staff on the city payroll for personal benefit, but stopped when Ford took a leave of absence in late April.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Read more about: