Toronto ombudsman recovers preferred-candidates list in mayoral investigation

Toronto's ombudsman says she has recovered a list of names allegedly circulated by Mayor Rob Ford's staff as preferred candidates for civic boards and committees last year.

Fiona Crean, who previously found that Ford's staff compromised the hiring of board members by delaying, and later speeding up the appointment process, said the list was recovered after her original report was presented to council on October 4.

Crean announced on Thursday that the city manager's staff had located an email dated July 21 that included a list of names and agencies that had been reportedly circulated as preferred candidates by the mayor's staff.

The list, titled "List from the Mayor's Office," contained 26 names attached to specific agencies, including the Toronto Port Authority, Toronto Police Service Board and the library board.

Crean said in an addendum to her report released Thursday, that the discovery of the list did not change the outcome of her investigation but was released as a point of full disclosure.

Crean's report has been attacked by Ford supporters as politically motivated, a claim that led council speaker Frances Nunziata to demand an apology from one councillor.

Crean's original report was released on September 25, and found that the mayor's staff compromised the hiring process for members of civic boards and committees after Ford was elected mayor in 2010.

Her report included allegations from unnamed city staff, who testified under oath that a list of names was circulated by staff during the appointment meeting in July 2011.

From her report:

"During the investigation, some attendees at the July 18 Committee meeting stated that Mayor's staff provided lists of preferred appointees to Committee members. Based on the evidence, I cannot make a determination that this in fact occurred."

On Thursday, Crean released a separate report, accusing the city of failing to listen to the public while planning renovations at two subway stations.

According to the Toronto Star, the report stated that the TTC had been considering the project since 2004 but didn't go public until 2010, shortly before construction was set to raze several houses.