Chris Moise doesn’t understand why he needs to defend his integrity, and he’s not happy.
He thinks Toronto has too many problems for the press to spend so much time on his campaign finances. He thinks his hard work is too often unreported on.
Perhaps more than anything, the Toronto Centre councillor wants this clear: His influence hasn’t been bought and is not for sale.
“I just don’t like the implications here that imply that I am not trustworthy, I’m shady, I shouldn’t be trusted, all these things,” Moise said.
A neighbourhood group has expressed concerns that Moise may have a conflict of interest regarding a residential redevelopment. Since the CBC reported on that, a developer who was a member of the Moss Park Arena board – and who may, with associates, have donated $13,000 to Moise’s campaign – quietly resigned.
In July, changes for 191-201 Sherbourne St., which shares the Sherbourne-Shuter Sts. intersection with the Moss Park Arena, were approved by the Toronto and East York community council. (City council OK’d the motion that month.)
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Critics at the meeting expressed fear the massive project is all wrong for the area, out of step with the city’s priorities and, despite being a purpose-built rental project, would do nothing to make Moss Park more affordable. One of them, Serguei Zernov, suggested Moise recuse himself due to an appearance of conflict of interest.
Moise “has so much power in this current situation,” Zernov told the Toronto Sun.
That apparent conflict is the money that people connected to Fitzrovia Real Estate, responsible for the redevelopment, gave during Moise’s 2022 election campaign.
A recent CBC report said 11% of all Moise’s donations came from people connected to Fitzrovia. Four people with the last name Rocca, including Fitzrovia CEO Adrian Rocca, gave maximum donations of $1,200. (The CEO told the CBC that donations from employees “were made in a strictly personal capacity, using their personal funds.”)
Moise said the Fitzrovia development was “fully endorsed” by staff. He said he followed city policy and those who oppose the project should understand the power to reject it largely lies with the province.
As for removing himself from the community council vote, he said that’s not city policy – and with reason. “Otherwise we’d be removing ourselves all the time” on mundane decisions in their communities, such as approving “a speed bump or a laneway … Where does it end?”
The Toronto Sunpreviously reported on the Moss Park board’s concerns about Moise’s relationships with developers. One of them, Jessica Polanski, may have donated to Moise’s campaign, and she was added to the board last October.
Polanski’s bio with the city says she leads “acquisition, management and strategic affairs” for Chromatic Developments and serves on the board of directors of the WoodGreen Foundation, a social services philanthropy group.
Moise got $1,000 donations in 2022 from three people in the same rural King City postal code: Tomasz Polanski, and Stefano and Karen Tognarelli. A 2023 newsletter from the WoodGreen Foundation contains a photo of Jessica Polanski with a Tomasz Polanski.
Corporate filing documents list Jessica Romano and Stefano Tognarelli as directors of Newpoint Developments, and Jessica Polanski and Valentina Romano as founders of Chromatic. Chromatic’s website lists Jessica Polanski and Stefano Tognarelli as managing affairs for the developer. Both firms share a Vaughan address with a company called Castlepoint Investments. WoodGreen confirmed Jessica Polanski’s maiden name is Romano.
Meanwhile, a recent CBC story identified Stefano Tognarelli as president of Newpoint. (It referred to an unfinished Newpoint project near St. Clair Ave. as an “eyesore.”) As well, a Cesar Tognarelli also gave $1,000 to Moise.
Meanwhile, a Jayant Gondhalekar is listed on LinkedIn as working as an accountant for Castlepoint. Someone by that name donated $1,000 to Moise, as did a Jessica and Valentina Romano. Barbara McQuillan is listed as a veteran Castlepoint employee on the Chromatic website. Someone by that name, as well as a Phil McQuillan with the same postal code, also each donated $1,000 to Moise.
The Romanos, Gondhalekar, the McQuillans, Tomasz Polanski, the Tognarellis and two more pairs of donors who each share a last name each gave individual $1,000 donations to Moise, all received on the same day: Aug. 10, 2022. In total, the 13 donated $13,000 to Moise that day. Other than Valentina Romano and Cesar Tognarelli, who live in Toronto, all have postal codes north of the city.
Four of those 13 names also appear on large donations made to Moise in his 2018 campaign for council, abandoned after the number of wards was halved.
Moise said he doesn’t know Stefano Tognarelli, or most of his donors. Of Polanski, he said “Jessica is a wonderful person. She’s great,” and suggested of her departure from the arena board: “It’s a toxic environment and people leave.” (Moise, who serves on the board as ward councillor, has sought to disband it. Council is due to receive a report on the matter in the coming months.)
Polanski did not respond to messages placed by the Sun, and Tognarelli did not respond to a request for comment made through a broker. A call to Castlepoint was not returned. (Phone numbers for Newpoint and Chromatic could not be found.)
Karin Fritzlar, who vice-chairs the Moss Park board, told the Sun Polanski quit just before a Sept. 23 meeting. Polanski didn’t say why, Fritzlar added, and she “in earnest attended one meeting” during her 11 months on the board, attending two others virtually.
She and Moise also confirmed plans to have Greg Gilbert, a Fitzrovia vice president who spoke at the community council meeting, visit Moss Park Arena, but Fritzlar said the board opposed the idea of another developer tour. Moise said the only reason he “leaned on people that I knew, or I knew that were willing to contribute” was in hopes of fundraising for the crumbling arena.
Fritzlar has complained of terse emails and frustrating encounters with Moise’s staff. Zernov said he found the behaviour of Moise’s office “quite arrogant.”
“I’m a more tolerant guy, but some of my neighbours, they were really outraged,” he added.
Moise said he’s transparent in what he does. He can’t “please everyone” and anyone truly upset can file an integrity complaint.
“I welcome that. Go ahead,” he said.
He told the Sun about the long hours that go with the job. People know him best for council battles and ribbon cutting, but he’s proud of his behind-the-scenes work to clean up city streets and protect tenants during demovictions. He’s working to find a replacement for Eileen de Villa at Toronto Public Health – “a huge job,” he said.
“My integrity has never been questioned before,” Moise said, “and I have to say that I take pause at this now because it’s out of my realm. For me, it’s overwhelming, and I take it personally. And I have to ask myself, why is it just me that’s being targeted?”
He said he fears “underlying racism” is at play. “I hate always to go to that obvious part of it all.”
SOME NOTABLE 2022 CAMPAIGN DONATIONS TO COUNCILLOR CHRIS MOISE
$4,800 by the ROCCAS, tied to developer Fitzrovia Real Estate
$1,200 by GREG GILBERT, one of Fitzrovia’s employee donors
$3,000 by the TOGNARELLIS, believed tied to Newpoint Developments
$2,000 by the ROMANOS, believed tied to Chromatic Developments
$1,000 by TOMASZ POLANSKI, also believed tied to Chromatic
$1,030.18 by FRED HAHN, president of CUPE Ontario
$1,030.18 by KRISTYN WONG-TAM, MPP and Moise’s predecessor in the ward