A Brampton resident and former Toronto radio host says he has filed a complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner after Brampton council signed an exclusive deal with a local online media organization with close ties to some members of council.

At its July 10 meeting, council voted unanimously to give Brampton Focus and Neighbourhood Watch Brampton — both non-profit organizations headed by Fazal Khan and Donald McLeod — up to $150,000 in funding.

The six-month pilot agreement, which will be revisited in six months, also includes a “media partnership” with Brampton Focus. The city said it hopes to use the media outlet to help “advance city messaging.”

The city’s media relations office noted the council resolution instructs “Strategic Communications (to) partner with Brampton Focus, where applicable, to provide video creation and content services, and ensure the outlet proactively receives the city’s communications to share across their social channels as a means to improve community safety.”

Bruce Marshall, a retired CHUM FM radio host who has been active in Brampton political circles for years, said he is lodging a complaint with the integrity commissioner, naming Mayor Patrick Brown and city’s 10 councillors.

“This sweetheart sole-source contract broke many rules, including the rules of common sense,” alleged Marshall, who came up short in his bid for a council seat in wards 7 and 8 in last year’s municipal election. “The City of Brampton Purchasing Bylaw requires that contracts over $100,000 be awarded only after a Request (for) Proposal process. City Council did not follow those rules in awarding this contract to Brampton Focus.

City staff confirmed the city’s procurement bylaws generally require a Request for Proposal (RFP) for contracts over $100,000 after wards 7 and 8 Councillor Charmaine Williams raised similar concerns.

“Would we be supporting or violating our bylaw and policy if we award this contract today?” she asked, and was assured by acting CAO Joseph Pittari the city was allowed to bypass the bylaw in “rare exceptions.”

“Based on the council direction that was provided for this report, this was asking us to look at ways and means based on council direction to fund or support the expansion, in a pilot perspective Brampton Focus and the neighbourhood watch program,” he told council.

Marshall‘s complaint to newly minted integrity commissioner Muneeza Sheikh further alleges members of council received “complimentary video services worth hundreds of dollars,” which he claims were not declared under the “gift registry” provisions of the Council Code of Conduct.

He also accuses Brampton Focus of allegedly lobbying without registering as a lobbyist or registering the dates and times of contact with members of council and city staff, as well having provided “online coverage as an inducement to secure the contract.”

“We will wait for the (integrity commissioner’s) findings, then comment,” McLeod told the Brampton Guardian.

Newly elected wards 1 and 5 Councillor Paul Vicente was a founding director of Brampton Focus, while councillor Rowena Santos, was a board member. No members of council — including Vicente and Santos — declared pecuniary interests before considering the matter, which was emphasized as a “community safety initiative.”

“Paul Vicente and Rowena Santos were volunteer members of the board of Brampton Focus until they officially resigned from their positions in December 2017. Neither received remuneration in their roles as volunteers for the organization,” added the pair in a joint statement to the Brampton Guardian.

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“S. 5(1) of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act states that decisions surrounding declarations of pecuniary interest are for a Member of a Council alone to determine,” added the city when asked about pecuniary declaration guidelines.

The integrity commissioner has not ruled on any of the allegations.

Graeme Frisque is a reporter for Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach him via email: gfrisque@metroland.com

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