A Toronto city councillor was found to have engaged with a constituent “in a derogatory manner,” according to a report by the Integrity Commissioner.
The report recommended council not issue a penalty against Coun. Chris Moise and to “adopt the findings” that he violated the city’s code of conduct, said Commissioner Paul Muldoon in a report issued earlier this week.
The report follows two complaints — one from IntegrityTO executive director Daniel Tate — against the councillor after an interaction at a budget town hall meeting at city hall on Jan. 16, 2025.
Tate, identified as the complainant in the report, approached Moise after the meeting and asked him what he was going to do that year related to “renaming things that hurt your feelings for whatever reason,” said the report.
The report alleges Tate opposed the city’s decision and Moise’s role in renaming Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square.
Moise responded by saying Tate had allegedly harassed him and his staff and that Tate had “a white supremacy view.”
A transcript of the recorded interaction in the report stated Tate asked Moise to apologize for the statement. To which Moise allegedly said, “I will never apologize … because you are.”
Daniel Tate, executive director of IntegrityTO, said he complained to the city’s Integrity Commissioner after he recorded an interaction with Coun. Chris Moise at a city budget hearing last year. (CBC News)
It was very “shocking” to hear what Moise said and that the Integrity Commissioner’s report was “bittersweet,” Tate told CBC News Sunday.
While he was happy the commissioner found Moise had violated article 14 of the city’s code of conduct, he was “disappointed” that there was no decision to levy a penalty.
“You’re not really sending a strong message, if there’s no sanction as a result of this bad behaviour,” Tate said.
The Integrity Commissioner’s report said Moise’s statements directed at a specific person “could cause reputation harm” and therefore found him in violation of the code of conduct.
But Muldoon did not recommend a penalty after considering additional context, such as Moise’s position as a racialized person and Tate’s “persistent criticism of equality, diversity and inclusion principles, often directed at the councillor.”
Muldoon’s report also said it considered Moise’s alleged claim that Tate’s tone and language during the incident “were confrontational” to “elicit and catch on video a reaction … described as a ‘gotcha moment.’”
‘Lead by example and stand up to racism’: Councillor
“We encourage our children and others that if they see something, say something,” said Moise in a statement to CBC News. “As an elected representative, it is incumbent on me to lead by example and stand up to racism, bigotry, and marginalization.”
Moise said he “respectfully disagrees” with the commissioner’s report and has no regrets for standing up to white nationalism.
He went on to say that during the incident, he was “cornered by a handful of people in addition to Tate,” some of whom may have been his associates or organization’s volunteers.
Moise called that moment a “deliberately orchestrated ambush.”
Tate calls this recollection by Moise “a complete cop out” and that councillors should give constituents the opportunity to ask hard questions.
“If you can’t handle the heat or tough questions at city hall, then maybe you should pick a different career,” he said.
The matter will now go before Toronto’s city council to either accept, reject or revise the recommendations by the commissioner.
Tate said he is hopeful council will choose to issue a penalty. That will send a message to citizens and elected officials that there are “tangible consequences,” for violating the city’s code of conduct, he said.