Bylaw enforcement office was ‘inundated’ with complaints from Coun. Jim Karygiannis, former head says

Thestar.com
February 12, 2020
Jennifer Pagliaro

Toronto’s bylaw enforcement officers were “inundated” with complaints made by the office of Coun. Jim Karygiannis, the department’s former head says.

“Councillor Karygiannis was one of our more prolific complainants,” said Mark Sraga, who was the director of investigation services for municipal licensing and standards from 2013 to 2019. Karygiannis was elected in 2014.

“We got inundated with reports and complaints,” Sraga said, and “a lot of the times what we found was unfounded or unsubstantiated ...

“It was a challenge for us because it was taking away resources from the Scarborough district to his ward.”

Sraga said Karygiannis was particularly concerned about illegal rooming houses.

“He’d be barging into people’s houses and he’d be taking pictures inside,” Sraga said, noting staff had to warn Karygiannis about that behaviour.

Sraga’s comments follow a Star story about a secret recording that captures Karygiannis aggressively policing his own residents over supposed bylaw infractions and discussing giving those who supported him preferential treatment.

“Because they’re friendly”

Those comments became the subject of a complaint to the city’s integrity commissioner on Tuesday by Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, who believes Karygiannis may have violated the code of conduct for members of council.

Karygiannis’s comments in the recording “amount to a confession that he gives preferential treatment to supporters and retaliates against non-supporters,” Conacher said in his complaint.

"If I feel like an a--hole"

“Councillor Karygiannis’ statements about his actions so unethically violate the key, democratic function of a councillor to serve all constituents fairly and well that the integrity commissioner should recommend the maximum penalties of a 90-day suspension of pay and his removal from all city committees and boards.”

Karygiannis said Tuesday he has “proactively” reached out to the integrity commissioner and said he would be “sure to share the secretly recorded tapes and my explanation for this private conversation.”

Sraga said that, to his knowledge, there was no indication to city staff that the complaints filed by Karygiannis were specifically targeting or excluding anyone. The city has said the same.

“Mr. Karygiannis has been advised in the past to follow the process established for investigations and that city staff will take carriage of any breach of city bylaws that are alleged to have occurred,” city spokesperson Brad Ross told the Star on Tuesday.

“The city investigates all complaints that are within its powers, regardless of who the complainant is or how frequently complaints are made, provided complaints are not -- or do not become -- frivolous or vexatious. If an investigation determines no bylaw was breached, the matter is closed.”

On Tuesday, Karygiannis told the Star that he has “always been passionate about serving my constituents and I am proud of my record of public service.

“It is not for me to comment on past workload levels at the city or on bylaw reporting levels from different parts of the city,” he said in a written statement. “It is a fact that I make a point of bringing issues forward from my ward to staff on behalf of my constituents and I have confidence in city staff dealing with these matters with integrity and professionalism.”

In an email exchange with Karygiannis on Tuesday, the Star was copied on an email from Mike Van Soelen, managing principal for crisis communications firm Navigator, who wrote: “I’ll be back with a draft note for you to use shortly” after Karygiannis promised the Star a response for this story.

Asked whether he had hired Navigator to respond to the Star and whether he is using taxpayer funds for those services, Karygiannis said, “Money spent on councillor’s budget is on public record.”