Ontario councillor went to Dubai to meet a company already partnered with a local university

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Ontario Politics News

Brampton,Brampton Politics,Dubai

A Brampton, Ont., councillor is facing questions after racking up thousands of dollars in expenses on a trip to Dubai to attract investment back to Ontario.

‘Outrageous’: Ontario Director of Canadian Taxpayers Federation reacts to Brampton city staff trip to IrelandIn the spring of 2023, a councillor and city staffer set off on a brief trip from Ontario to the United Arab Emirates to try to attract a company, already partnered with a local university, to invest further in their city.in April last year to attend a “developer day” for a major tech company, Unity, and meet with its executives.

Now, the city is facing questions about the overall cost of the trip to Dubai, why it wasn’t made public and if it was the most effective use of public money.Documents obtained by Global News show Coun. Toor and a senior staffer flew from Toronto to Dubai in late April 2023, paying thousands in flights, hotel rooms and local transport.

“The Economic Development Office chose the hotel and made the booking in line with any applicable city policies,” he said in response to emailed questions. Jay Goldberg, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said he questioned whether local councillors should be working on international pitches instead of provincial or federal organizations.

Brown’s office said that Unity — which did not respond to an email from Global News — asked for Brown to be present. A December 2022 news release from the two institutions boasted that Algoma University, “in partnership with Unity,” would be hosting the inauguration of its National Centre of Excellence.“The NCoE is a culmination of an already-established partnership between the two organizations,” the news release said.

 

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