The Bigger Evil - Anonymous Lobbyists (and those who hide them).

In an advertisement published in The Auroran on May 28, 2013, Mr. Klees was boasting about how hard he was working by publishing a single day's schedule of meetings.  One meeting in particular stood out for me:

5:00 pm: A Government Relations rep wants to discuss the possibility of a casino locating in Vaughan or Markham.

For those who are unfamiliar with the lingo of politicians, "Government Relations rep" is another way of saying "Lobbyist". 

The Ontario Government has been looking into casinos because gambling is a quick and easy way for governments to get revenue.  But there is a dark side to casinos in the form of insidious social issues which include addiction, bankruptcy, crime and prostitution.  It is the latter reasons why organized crime syndicates are keen on casinos, (including the notorious crime familes who allegedly have close ties with a certain casino in Atlantic City which is rumoured to be bidding to build the new casino here). 

Most sensible people are opposed to a casino moving into their neighbourhood and the proximity of Markham or Vaughan to our own homes is too close for comfort.  We don't need the social problems that come with casinos to be imported into our communities. 

So I made Mr. Klees a very simple request - make public the name of the lobbyist he met with on that Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm.

In a polite and cordial manner I explained to Mr. Klees that the rules for MPP's regarding lobbying are quite clear and easy to follow.  As a rule of thumb, MPP's are encouraged to be completely transparent about their interactions with lobbyist.

Mr. Klees replied to me claiming that this 5:00 pm meeting was a "constituent meeting" (contradicting what he wrote in the Auroran).  He then tried to hide behind Office of the Integrity Commissioner rules regarding confidentiality of constituents. 

I'm not buying his excuse and neither should you. 

To deflect from my line of questioning, Mr. Klees tried to turn the tables on me asking me to reveal my own identity.  Its a ruse he played to "change the page" from his secret lobbyist meeting.  As if knowing who I am is more important than the public knowing about lobbyists who are working behind the scenes to peddle influence with our elected officials.  

After our interaction, he then picked up the phone and started calling members of the public while making wild and ridiculous allegations (see below):

Normally, a politician flipping out and scrambling to "contain" the damage is nothing new.  But this issue is about casinos and their ties to organized crime, drugs, prostitution, loan sharking and so on are well documented.  Mr. Klees owes us an explanation and he should spare us his fake indignation. 

That is what makes Mr. Klees' next move so disturbing. 

Today, Mr. Klees placed another Auroran advertisement and sent broadcast e-mails condemning my legitimate questions about his dealings with his secret casino lobbyist.  He called me a "sniper" and a "coward".

Mr. Klees is a old salt politician and he has weathered his share of "attacks" (although I don't find anything in my previous interaction with him as over the top).  So it makes no sense that he would be so prickly about my line of questions.  Why did he resort to name calling at this point?

And while we are asking questions,

1) Why won't he reveal who he met with? Why is he remaining so steadfast to protect this lobbyist?

2) All casino lobbying activities need to be registered as such.  Was this lobbyist registered?

3) If he/she was registered, for whom are they working for?

4) If this lobbyist isn't registered how can we be sure that this so-called government relations rep wasn't working for someone with organized crime ties?

5) Why did Mr. Klees schedule the meeting at 5:00 pm?  Did Mr. Klees socialize over a drinks, dinner or other entertainment with this lobbyist or his/her employer after the meeting?  Was anything discussed during this social time?

6) How many times has Mr. Klees met with this lobbyist?  Or his/ her employer?  Has Mr. Klees visited the lobbyist's employer at their premises?  If so, who paid for the trip?

It is going to take more than ads in the paper and woe is me talk from Mr. Klees about so-called "anonymous/ coward snipers" to make this story go away.  It is going to take Mr. Klees having the stomach to do the right thing and inform the public about this meeting.   

If Mr. Klees has nothing to hide, then all he has to do is start answering a few simple questions about his secret casino lobbyist rendez-vous.  If he remains mum on the subject, (and there is no reason to think otherwise), then it will up to the good residents of Newmarket-Aurora to make up our own minds about Mr. Klees, lobbyists, casinos and the social ills that come with them.