Transport Canada [February 6  "When is a port not a port?"] maintains that changing the makeup of the Toronto Port Authority's board would have little impact since all members are legally required to act in "the best interests of the port ... rather (than) the appointing body."

That’s far from the whole story - TPA directors were – and are - also obliged  to comply with the legal requirement under the Canada Marine Act that Port Authorities be financially self-sufficient.

Closing its massively unprofitable commercial port operations, and the consistently unprofitable island airport ( a 2006 loss of $4,610,000 (2005: $3,366,000), on income of only $9,913,000 (2005: $9,686,000) would be entirely defensible, as a proper exercise of business judgment, and in compliance with that Act. In fact, Transport Canada should be highly critical of the TPA board for failing to so comply with that legal requirement.

Transport Canada has allowed the TPA an excessive degree of latitude, in our view, to squander its resources, and an incredible ten years, to unsuccessfully bring its operations into compliance with the Act’s mandatory requirement for self-sufficiency. 

Isn’t it time to say “enough is enough”?

As a first step, at least five of the seven directors of the Port Authority should be appointed by the City of Toronto, not, as currently mandated, the federal government. They would have far more accountability to the citizens of Toronto than the current federally, and provincially, appointed directors.

The current review of the Canada Marine Act should incorporate such a change.

Brian Iler

Chair, Community AIR