The rent of an apartment leased to Ward 24 Coun. David Shiner is being scrutinized, as it has been alleged he paid far below market value for the apartment that is owned by a company that does business with the City of Toronto.
CBC news reported that an investigation revealed Shiner was paying below-market rent for a two-bedroom unit at 88 Erskine Ave. Verdiroc Holdings owns the building, which is managed by its sister company, Greenwin Property Management, and the Greenwin-Verdiroc group is involved in business with the city, according to the report.
In an email to Post City Magazines, Shiner said the CBC had been told its information was incorrect.
“I pay market rent for my apartment,” he said in the email. “This is a personal matter not related to my responsibilities as a city councillor.”
When asked to verify the cost of Shiner’s rent, Greenwin spokesperson Danny Roth said in a statement: “In accordance with privacy laws, we strive to ensure our residents’ privacy and protect the confidentiality of the terms of their rental agreements. As such, Greenwin will not offer comment on any individual tenancies within our buildings.”
Speaking generally about conflict of interest and not the Shiner allegation, City of Toronto integrity commissioner Janet Leiper said the policies and code of conduct that govern the city’s elected officials don’t cite clear examples and must be interpreted.
“You take any given set of facts and you interpret in a way that’s consistent with what you’re trying to achieve, which is people putting their private, personal interests to the side,” she said.
She said having a conflict of interest is not wrong — how to address it becomes the matter.
Shiner has been the councillor for Ward 24 since 1998 and was also on the former City of North York’s council from 1991 to 1997.
