A town council that was shaken by the fallout from its short-lived attempt to hire a lobbying firm with close ties to Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives is expected to reflect on the saga at its next meeting.
Brighton council’s agenda for next Tuesday shows it plans to discuss a letter their riding’s PC MPP wrote the mayor and councillors about their May 6 decision, and what’s happened since.
David Piccini, Northumberland—Peterborough South’s MPP and a member of Ford’s cabinet, wrote that he was both “disappointed” by Brighton’s approval of an up-to-six-month $60,000 agreement with a lobbying firm, and by council members' comments about it on May 6.
Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks wants Brighton to upgrade its existing wastewater treatment facility before proceeding with further development, which is estimated to cost more than $30 million. The town’s municipality has applied for a provincial grant through the $825-million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF) to cover the bulk of the project’s total cost.
At Brighton council’s May 6 meeting, its members discussed, and then voted to approve, a contract with Atlas Strategic Advisors that would have had the firm provide “strategic communication” support in seeking a HEWSF grant. In the public meeting, councillors had mused about the firm’s “backroom” bona fides and connections within the provincial government.
Atlas was founded and is run by Amin Massoudi, one of the longest-serving and closest aides to work with Ford in his political career. The three other lobbyists who work for Atlas left either the premier’s office or a cabinet minister’s office within the last couple of years to work for the company. One is Cody Mallette, Atlas’ managing director, who was Piccini’s assistant for a short stint a few years ago.
On May 7, the day after five of seven Brighton council members voted to confirm its agreement with Atlas, the move and deal was first reported on by the Brighton Community Gazette. The newsletter’s coverage sparked a firestorm among residents on social media, which attracted the attention of Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander, who defended the plan.
Two days later, Atlas told the municipality it wouldn’t be proceeding with their agreement, “given recent developments,” Massoudi said in an email late on May 8.
It then drew Queen’s Park’s spotlight the next day, May 9, with opposition MPPs blaming the Ford government for allowing a council to believe hiring well-connected lobbyists would give it a better chance of success at securing a provincial grant.
“This government has clearly sent the memo out — and municipalities and others across this province have gotten it — that if you want anything done by this government, you’ve got to pay their insider friends,” official Opposition and NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters.
Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra said on the same day that, in many cases, lower-level governments would be “wasting (their) money” hiring lobbyists to get the ear of the Ford government. Calandra said certain exceptions may be when small or northern municipalities hire lobbyists, or when those with specific “technical expertise” are hired.
But that’s not why Brighton hired Atlas.
“Put plain and simple, it’s a lobbyist to work the backroom,” Brighton Coun. Byron Faretis had said at the May 6 meeting of its plan to hire Atlas. “That's what we are getting. We are not acquiring them for their technical expertise.”
On May 9, Calandra said, “If you’re specifically hiring lobbyists to come speak to the government or members of parliament, I think it’s not an effective use of taxpayers’ money.”
At least fourteen of Ontario’s 444 towns, counties, regions and cities currently employ consultant lobbyists to advocate for them to the province, its registry shows. The Municipality of Brighton has never registered a consultant lobbyist to advocate with the provincial government on its behalf before.
Piccini’s letter to Brighton’s mayor and councillors, which later made it onto their upcoming meeting agenda, was sent to them on May 10.
He said he learned about the municipality’s agreement with Atlas earlier that week. In his letter, Piccini highlighted six instances since November that he either emailed or talked to Brighton’s mayor or councillors about the HEWSF program. The May 6 discussion, Piccini wrote, was “unbecoming of the office you hold.”
As The Trillium reported during the same week, some councillors expressed regret among themselves over what would have marked an unprecedented decision — and one that a few council members felt after the fact that they weren’t adequately prepared to make.
The plan for Brighton to enlist the help of a lobbying firm to help with its wastewater treatment plant funding application was kickstarted at least a few weeks before ultimately making it to council for approval. When the municipality’s current chief administrative officer Elana Arthurs stepped into the role as Brighton’s top bureaucrat on April 8, it was already in motion.
In an email, Arthurs said municipality staff discussed “a number of firms” before ultimately narrowing their options to four: Atlas, Amir Remtulla & Associates, Loyalist Public Affairs, and Sussex Strategy Group.
Leslie Whiteman, Brighton’s director of public works and infrastructure, had told councillors on Monday that municipal staff had interviewed two other companies, which seems to have included Loyalist, based on what one of its founding partners Dan Mader said.
In an email, Mader said he received a call in early April from Brighton officials who “said that they were reaching out to a number of GR firms to find out about our capabilities.” Mader said he asked municipal officials to email him more information but didn’t end up hearing anything more from them.
Chris Froggatt, Loyalist’s other co-founder, served in key roles for the PC Party ahead of its 2018 and 2022 election victories.
Amir Remtulla leads his small firm. He’s a longtime lobbyist who worked closely with Ford during the premier’s time as a Toronto city councillor, including as chief of staff to his brother, Rob Ford, while he was mayor.
Before publication of this story on Friday, The Trillium hadn’t heard back from either Remtulla or Sussex about if, or when, they dealt with Brighton officials.
“We're always looking for ways to deepen our partnership with municipalities across the province,” Sussex’s marketing manager said in an emailed statement.
Arthurs said, “It was recommended that Atlas Strategic Advisors be considered by a family member of our director of planning (Paul Walsh) who had some knowledge of the firm.”
Atlas’ engagement plan to Brighton, which was included on its council’s May 6 meeting agenda, was dated April 9. A report by municipal staff within the same package of documents said Brighton applied for a HEWSF grant on April 19, the deadline for its current round of funding.
Massoudi said Atlas had responded in April “to what we understood was a competitive process to secure a consulting firm that would support ongoing priorities on behalf of the Municipality of Brighton.”
Whiteman, Brighton’s public works and infrastructure director, said at the May 6 meeting that municipal staff favoured Atlas because they felt it “would be able to present the municipality in the best light.”
In his letter that’s set to be the subject of discussion at Brighton council’s meeting on Tuesday, Piccini promised to continue to be an advocate within the provincial government for the town to be given funding to support upgrading its wastewater plant.
