The Township of Adjala Tosorontio overview

Key players : Past Councillor Scott Anderson now Mayor, past Councillor Annette Bays, past councillor Jonathan Pita, past councillor Deborah Hall-Chancey aka Deborah Hall.

We now have a new player who has graduated to the ranks of the above four councillors and who plays both sides to see which side suits him. He talks to the residents about council and tells the residents whatever he tells them is off the record. Let’s meet Councillor Anub Simson. Click on the link below his election platform to read about him.

See below a brief introduction to the website with the election platforms of the four councillors followed by the documents, emails and audio recordings that will give you a better idea of how your past and current council operate and how your hard earned tax dollars are valued by council. To expand and read any images please place your fingers on the image and move your fingers outwards.

All supporting documents, emails and audio recordings are in the links at the bottom of the page in green. Click on each green link below and you will be directed to the pages where you can read and hear the facts. All emails and financial accounts on Colgan are included in the RED (Colgan and Everett) Link. Staff report with answers from township engineer John Thompson who approved the Colgan subdivision now confirms there may not be enough water and wastewater capacity for 4 more homes in Colgan. So, what Bob Meadows and I have stated all along has now come true. Yet both of us were accused of making false allegations, put through harassment investigations and I was censured for speaking the truth.

The Township of Adjala-Tosorontio is a small and beautiful Township located north of Toronto with rolling hills and beautiful farms, many of which have historic significance.

I, (Floyd Pinto) have been on the township council from 2010-2018 as a councillor for Ward 1 and mayor from 2018-2022.

During my term on council, I found numerous discrepancies and issues at the council and township level (mentioned below) and decided to create this website to keep people informed and updated with factual information backed by documentation and evidence.

I am concerned that the past issues that had not been adequately dealt with will cause numerous problems in projects such as the Everett development which will ultimately be a tax and personal burden on residents and will be similar to what happened in Colgan.

This includes:
1. Financial irregularities
2. Financial mismanagement
3. Four councillors made false allegations and terminated staff who raised concerns about the township accounts and financial irregularities which has resulted in a lawsuit of approximately one million dollars
4. Previous council held illegal meetings according to the Municipal Act. (Provincial Ombudsman of Ontario)
5. O.P.P investigations into post retirement benefits allocated without documentation. (2014-2018 term of council)
6. Approvals of developments without proper documentation
7. Councillor Scott Anderson admitted to manipulations taking place (e-mail) that resulted in the township loosing approximately $1.15 million on DC charges as per the township treasurer email. However, this amount will be closer to $3 million in lost revenue based on the difference in the subdivision agreement and the legally binding land tribunal decision. This loss will be reflected in an increase of property taxes

Township Council approving reports and Subdivision Agreement without all the information (at no time did the developer cause any of the problems we are facing today). It was past council Annette Bays, Jonathan Pita, Deborah Hall Chancey aka Deborah Hall and Scott Anderson who petitioned meetings to approve the development in recorded votes without all documents that caused the problems for the Township and its residents. The documents attached under the Colgan and Everett link show that the above 4 councillors were fully aware of the financial problems with the DC charges and still voted to approve the Colgan subdivision agreement.

For years the previous deputy mayor Bob Meadows and I have been accused of providing misinformation to the residents of Adjala-Tosorontio. I have based my concerns as per the below supporting documentations:

Index
1) Legal Process for Documents : All documents contained in this website have been legally obtained through past and current Freedom of Information done by myself and residents, emails from the various ministries and are all public documents. I have taken this step as residents are being misled and manipulated by past and present council who continue to accuse me of providing misinformation to cover up their actions contrary to the laws. Furthermore, residents who do not know the process have been informed by the township, past and current council that residents are not allowed access to these, public documents. Thus, the township and council has not only misled the residents but have attempted to hide the facts from residents.
2) Colgan 2022 development
3) Treasurer’s lawsuit against Scott Anderson, Annette Bays, Deborah Hall Chancey aka Deborah Hall and Jonathan Pita
4) The 4 Councillors Censure me Immediately After Admitting to Illegal Appointment of Engineers. They then retract the censure after I took legal action against them and they put all their legal fees on the taxpayers.
5) False Accusations and a Vendetta for Exposing Financial Irregularities
6) O.P.P findings on Post Retirement Benefits Issues (2014-2018 Term of Council)
7) High Staff Turnover
8) False Accusations
9) Ombudsman (Illegal Meetings)
10) Resident’s E-mail to Annette Bays asking Annette for factual evidence.

Not only I, as previous mayor, stated for them NOT to proceed with their petitioned meeting to terminate the treasurer but Deputy-Mayor Bob Meadows and Councillor Ronald O’Leary also raised concerns and objected to their actions.

The previous treasurer has since filed a law suit for wrongful dismissal against the Township and the 4 members of council with regards to their actions that can be read under the Treasurers lawsuit link.

When I was mayor, I put through a resolution, supported by all on council, to record all in-camera meetings for transparency and accountability. Past staff did not proceed with recording as the budget was already approved and the next year was the elections in 2022. However, that resolution of council to record all in-camera meetings is not being followed to date as council has not budgeted money for the recording equipment. Is council afraid that the illegal discussions taking place during in-camera meetings will become public in case of an investigation?

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False Accusations and a Vendetta for Exposing Financial Irregularities

2022 Elections : Councillor Anderson and I were two mayoral candidates running for elections in 2022. Just before the elections, Scott Anderson put a motion to censure me which was supported by Councillor Annette Bays, Deborah Hall Chancey aka Deborah Hall and Jonathan Pita without any evidence for violating the numerous sections of the council code of conduct without any investigation by the Integrity Commissioner as required by law under the Municipal Act. This censure was put against me for the simple reason that I questioned the financials of Colgan and exposed the above 4 councillors involvement in approving engineers without permission from the Drainage Tribunal. Residents can read the documents in the links below.

2018 Elections : Just before the elections when Bob Meadows and myself were councillors we were both put under harassment investigations as we gave evidence against the Township in the Everett Gravel Pit and went to the O.P.P with regards to the Post Retirement benefits. As the first investigation found that Bob Meadows and myself had the township best interest in mind. Then Deputy Mayor Doug Little who ran against me for Mayor, he together with the past CAO Eric Wargel who was directly involved in the Post Retirement Benefits and mileage claims without documentation contacted a new integrity commissioner Harold Elston who was suspended by the law society to provide a report on a harassment complaint against Bob Meadows and myself. Although Bob Meadows and I made the same statements at the Tribunal hearing, just before the 2018 elections I was accused of harassing the planner and Bob Meadows was cleared.

The above four named councillors are defendants in a lawsuit and could end up being defendants in more lawsuits as they have supported in recorded votes multiple financial problems, irregularities in the township. This has contributed to potentially millions of dollars of loses at the taxpayers’ expense and legal fees that the 4 named councillors have put on the taxpayers..

In accordance with the Municipal Act and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, all members of council have a fiduciary duty and are required to follow the laws. No member of council or township officers has absolute immunity under the Municipal Act.

It is not a vendetta to make council and staff accountable for their actions by asking for accounts and reports and asking them to follow the township policies, procedures and bylaws.

Clearing false allegations made against a person is not a vendetta, neither is exposing the financial irregularities in this township.

The financial problems of the township will not be easily fixed. It was created by some members of council, past and present who have made decisions not following the recommendations of past financial professionals and advisors (watson reports on DC charges and water / wastewater rates). These council members should be held accountable and made to refund all the money lost by the township that could reduce the high and unaffordable water rates and eliminate or substantially reduce the water debt.

This has caused over one million dollar loss in Colgan on development charges and will go higher if water hookup connection fees are added. Council members approving the subdivision agreement without all documentation, as well as inaccurate and outdated reports and poor advice from some consultants and past staff members has resulted in this mess we are today.

In my opinion, the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio should refund all the residents’ tax dollars, who are on private wells and septic systems, that are currently paying for the municipal water and waste water systems for these developments or the Township should refund costs to residents on wells and septic systems for the costs they incur in maintaining their private wells and septic systems.

Why should residents on private wells and septics pay for a municipal system they have no access to? Bad financial management has resulted in large amounts of the OCIF provincial grant money over the years going into the water and waste water systems instead of our failing infrastructure, i.e. roads and bridges. This grant money used was in addition to the money being taken from general taxation to subsidize residents on municipal water and wastewater.

Why should failing infrastructure projects be put on the backs of the taxpaying residents to fix and replace, rather than using the grant monies going to water and waste water? Past councils were given the opportunity in the past to fix the water and wastewater plants to avoid large debts in future, but some of the council members were more interested in getting re-elected than fixing the financial problems of the township.

This council should not be boasting of a surplus and large reserves until this internal loan is repaid (over 5 million debt) to the residents and also account for new debt that has been taken this term of council. Since the developer did not pay connection fees to hook into our well system, this burden has been put onto the township taxpayers.

When residents complain about high water and wastewater rates remember it was not all on council who created this problem but primarily the four councillors Scott Anderson, Annette Bays, Deborah Hall Chancey aka Deborah Hall and Jonathan Pita who petitioned the meeting to pass the subdivision agreement for Colgan. They passed this without all the proper documentation. Just as residents on private wells and septic systems should not have to pay to subsidize residents on Municipal water and wastewater. Residents on municipal water and wastewater should not have to pay for the existing debt taken from working funds as it was past and current council negligence in approving the subdivision and removing the hold on the subdivision without ensuring all financials were in order that has caused this financial problem. Had proper process been followed and financial documents reviewed the municipal water and wastewater debt could have been substantially reduced or eliminated and this would have resulted in substantially lower and affordable water and wastewater rates.

I will keep updating this website with any new members of council found to be acting against the best interest of the Township residents and disrespecting our tax dollars. It seems that exposing politicians and their actions may be the only way to bring back financial stability to our Township.

Please click on the Green links below that will take you to the other documents, emails and audio recordings.

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