Mark McQueen doesn't like negative comments about the Toronto Port Authority and especially about the Tory regime change that has happened there in the last two months.

Two new Harrisite ideologues were appointed after Harper prorogued Parliament in Dec. 2008.

With these 2 new right wing business-first Tories, this much is known: McQueen was made Chair of this Board. The Board then authorized the building of a new $ 5 million dollar ferry to almost exclusively benefit Porter Airlines.

I have a question for Mr. McQueen. Did Colin D. Watson vote on the ferry issue?.

If he did, was he wrong to have done so? Does that cast the ferry decision into doubt?

Based on the public record, Mr. Watson has a very close relationship with Robert Deluce, CEO of Porter Air:

*         Mr. Deluce and Mr. Watson sit on the board of directors of Vector Aerospace (1).

*         Mr. Watson is the former CEO of this corporation (2)

*         Both Mr. Deluce and Mr. Watson sat on the board of directors of Spar Aerospace (3)

*         Mr. Watson is the former CEO of this corporation (2)

The TPA Letters Patent Schedule E Code of Conduct, contains these provisions, that elevate the standard of care to a very high level:

1.2 Principles. This Code shall be interpreted in accordance

with the following general principles:

(a) every director and officer shall discharge their official duties

and arrange their private affairs in such a manner as to

preserve and promote public confidence and trust in the

integrity and impartiality of the Authority;

(b) the obligations of a director or officer described in

subsection 1.2(a) may not always be discharged merely by

acting in accordance with the technical requirements of the

Act, the Regulations, the Letters Patent, the by-laws and the policies and resolutions of the Board; and

(c) public confidence and trust in the integrity and impartiality of

the Authority may be as equally compromised by the appearance of a conflict [my emphasis] as by the existence of an actual conflict.

 The close demonstrated relationship between Mr. Deluce and Mr. Watson is such that "public confidence and trust in the integrity and impartiality of the Authority" is compromised in relation to the decision to purchase the new ferry - if Mr. Watson participated in this decision.

 Another question, Mr. McQueen: We know that the board of directors was split 3-3 on many issues prior to the appointment of the City's director. That appointment broke the tie. We also know that as the result of the subsequent appointment of the new Tory directors, that tie was broken in the opposite direction. If Mr. Watson did vote on the ferry issue, was his the deciding vote?

 _________________

(1) from Vector Aerospace's website as of Feb. 2, 2009:

Vector Aerospace Management

Board of Directors

Donald K. Jackson      Chairman

Colin D. Watson          Director

Gordon Cummings      Director

Barry Eccleston           Director

Robert J. Deluce          President and CEO, Porter Airlines Inc.

Kenneth C. Rowe        Chairman and CEO, I.M.P Group Limited

F. Robert Hewitt         Director, Former President and CEO of CMA Holdings

 ____________________

 (2) from Toronto Port Authority website Feb. 2, 2009:

 Mr. Colin D. Watson

 Mr. Colin D. Watson is currently a director of Rogers Communications,

 Louisiana Pacific Corp, Northstar Aerospace, Vector Aerospace, Telesat,

 The Weather Network, Rhapsody Acquisition Corp and DALSA Corporation.  

 He chairs the Compensation Committees of Louisiana Pacific, Northstar and Vector. 

 Mr. Watson was President and CEO of Rogers Cablesystems (1979 - 1996),

 Spar Aerospace (1996 - 2002), Vector Aerospace (2003 - 2005).  

 He has a BASc (Mech Eng) - UBC and an MBA - Ivey.

___________________________

   (3) from The Toronto Star  Aug. 30, 2006. PAUL MOLONEY CITY HALL BUREAU

     Watson said that as Spar's CEO, he recruited Deluce because of his experience running airlines.

    "Mr. Deluce was born with jet fuel in his veins," Watson said. "He's a highly skilled pilot and a highly skilled aerospace executive."