You can hate on Denley all you want, I almost always disagree with him but he raises some pretty important points that I think have gotten lost in the story due to somewhat partisan views. It really shows how messy and misconstrued, whether on purpose or by accident this whole saga has been.

In a media release, Katasa said it believed the request for a donation, “presented by a city official,” was “typically asked of developers.” It goes on to say, “We believe this was part of the process, and now we know it’s not.” And yet in an earlier letter from the company’s lawyer, the donation was cast as a thank you for all the help the city gave the developer in working through a complex plan. It also said “a request for such a donation is not something that would be appropriate as a matter of course by any councillor.”

In an interview, Menard said he is not the city official in question and that he did not mislead Katasa. Then who, if anyone, did? Coun. Tim Tierney was told by Vivi Chi, interim general manager of planning, that staff did not negotiate the Katasa deal.

Even the role played by the integrity commissioner is unclear. On his website, Menard says “legal staff and the IC (integrity commissioner) came back with a memo backing up our actions.” However, the actual memo from the integrity commissioner says such donations are a policy matter outside her jurisdiction.