In Retrospect If Theiy Aren't At Silly Hall They Can't Screw Up

Political jet-setters

TTC commissioners Vienna-bound, while mayor, councillors off to Whistler

By SUE-ANN LEVY AND BRYN WEESE, CITY HALL BUREAU

Say, "So long, farewell, aufwiedersehen, goodbye" to another eight councillors next month.

Eight of nine TTC commissioners plan to jet off to Vienna, Austria, for the five-day International Association of Public Transport Conference that starts June 7.

Heading to the "world's music capital ... and the former imperial city," according to the city's tourism website, are TTC chairman Adam Giambrone as well as commissioners Sandra Bussin, Joe Mihevc, Maria Augimeri, Anthony Perruzza, Bill Saundercook, Peter Milczyn and Ron Moeser. The TTC's chief general manager, Gary Webster, will also go.

Only one commissioner -- Suzan Hall -- will not be travelling to Vienna.

"The hills are alive with the sound of councillors," said Councillor Mike Del Grande, who suggested this is not a good message to be sending to taxpayers.

Two years ago, six commissioners travelled to Helsinki, Finland, for the same international conference. In 2011, it's being held in Dubai.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the money for the Vienna trip will come from the TTC budget but couldn't say what the final tally will be.

With at least 12 councillors, including Mayor David Miller, Giambrone, and Hall, slated to attend the annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference in the world-class resort of Whistler from June 5-8, that means 20 Toronto (mostly left-of-centre) politicians will be away from City Hall the first 10 days of June.

'MORE RESTRAINT'

"Maybe the right might win a vote (during that time)," joked Councillor Karen Stintz, who feels all eight TTC commissioners did not need to go to get the information they require.

"Certainly we can expect a little more restraint."

Bussin, Mihevc, Augimeri, Perruzza, Giambrone, Hall and Moeser did not return repeated phone calls from the Sun.

Milczyn agreed that probably eight councillors was too many but questioned how one would determine who gets to go.

He defended his involvement as the only commissioner "not on the mayor's bandwagon" saying he's interested in the issue of ticketing and fares -- zone fares or payment according to how much time one uses the system each day.

Saundercook acknowledged the timing of the Vienna and Whistler trips so close together was "bad," but said the Vienna conference was "money well spent."

"If I waited two more years to travel to the next international transit conference, I think the City of Toronto may miss out on some benefits that I could bring back to our taxpayers," he said, noting the agenda is full of lectures, workshops and discussions that the commissioners will split up among themselves.

'JUNKETS'

"If I see Joe Mihevc in (one discussion), I'll say 'Joe, I'm going to go to that (discussion), we'll swap notes later.' "

But Councillor Doug Holyday said the conferences in Whistler and Vienna are nothing more than "junkets", proven by the "excessive" numbers of councillors who attend, and called them insulting to taxpayers given the current economic climate.

"It's out of control and it makes a mockery of the fact that there's a recession going on and a lot of people are losing their jobs," he said. "It's just absolutely absurd that so many people have to go."

Holyday, who accused Miller of using the trips to buy support on council, said a few years ago he tried to limit the number of councillors and staff who could attend conferences both in Canada and elsewhere.

He proposed only two councillors and one City Hall staffer should go to conferences in Canada, and only one councillor and one staff member be allowed to attend conferences outside the country.

"They laughed it out of committee. It never saw the light of day," he said. "But in view of this absolute disregard for common sense, I think I'm going to have to bring that motion back."

Kevin Gaudet, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, called the idea of so many councillors travelling in June just plain "dumb."

"It's example after example after example of these guys' and girls' complete failure to get that their job is about service and not self-gratification," he said. "What the hell is the matter with sending one and that person can come back and do a lunch 'n' learn."

SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.CA BRYN.WEESE@SUNMEDIA.CA