Committee fights to keep list transparent

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

For the second time in a few short months, staff at city hall has tried to discontinue the public report containing the city’s monthly cheque payments. For the second time the finance committee has turned them down.

The recommendation, which first came before the committee in December, was back on the agenda on March 26.

Despite the committee’s wish for alternative options, the same recommendation – to discontinue the public payroll and vendor payments report – was before them.

Councillor Nancy Diamond, who was critical of the original recommendation in December, once again slammed the report for stopping the disclosure of information to the public – information that has been public for decades.

“I believe that it is absolutely critical that this information be disclosed,” Diamond said.

“That information has helped us, and helped citizens over the years to keep a reasonable eye on where the money is going.”

Oshawa resident Rosemary McConkey, who appeared as a delegation before the committee, says the same.

“When it’s involving public money, it should be public,” she said.

A confidential report lays out the legal implications of the city continuing to make the cheque register public. It is for the reasons in the report that staff is recommending the publication be discontinued.

However, in a replacement motion, Diamond suggested that staff find a way to keep the report public while finding a method to distinguish those cheques that could cause the city legal trouble.

The recommendation directs staff to “develop revised protocols and procedures that will ensure the full disclosure of payments where appropriate to do so while complying with the protections afforded under the Municipal Freedom of Information Act and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as any restrictions appropriately required under legal agreements of issues of potential litigation.”

“Someone, somewhere has to be authorizing cheques,” Diamond said.

However, Diamond says she doesn’t want to see the report published with certain cheques redacted.

“I would not want to see a report with items redacted because that just causes confusion.”