Toronto city council has voted to dramatically increase the amount councillors can claim for legal fees when defending against integrity complaints, but the change will not fully cover the outstanding bill for Councillor Chris Moise.
New Legal Fee Cap Approved
On Thursday afternoon, councillors approved a motion from veteran member Paula Fletcher to raise the maximum reimbursement from $5,000 to $20,000. The increase, which quadruples the previous limit, was passed emphatically by council. However, the new cap is not retroactive, meaning it does not apply to Moise's current legal expenses.
Moise, a first-term downtown councillor, had sought $20,807.61 in legal fees. Instead, council approved a motion from Councillor Jon Burnside limiting Moise's reimbursement to half of his expenses, minus any amounts already paid. This leaves Moise to cover a significant portion of his legal costs from his own pocket.
Background of the Dispute
The legal fees stem from an incident in January 2025, when Moise told constituent Daniel Tate that he had a “white supremacy view” and accused him of harassment. The integrity commissioner, Paul Muldoon, found that Moise had “crossed the line” but did not recommend a penalty. Council later voted to effectively ignore Muldoon's report, a move Moise described as vindication.
During Thursday's meeting, Muldoon was present but could not be questioned by councillors after Speaker Frances Nunziata ruled that the earlier vote precluded further discussion of the report.
Debate Over Public Funds
Burnside, who proposed the partial reimbursement, acknowledged that Moise faced extenuating circumstances but emphasized the need for fiscal responsibility. “He knew that the reimbursement was only $5,000, and for me, as a steward of public funds, I would never have gone and spent $23,000 more and put council in this position,” Burnside said.
Fletcher, who has been a key ally for Moise throughout the process, expressed frustration as councillors struggled to understand her motion. She clarified that the new $20,000 cap is a maximum and does not involve the integrity commissioner's discretion. “It’s your legal expenses once somebody has made a complaint,” she said, noting that some complaints are politically motivated.
Retroactivity and Opposition
An earlier version of Fletcher's motion would have made the $20,000 cap retroactive, potentially covering Moise's entire bill. However, Fletcher apologized and struck that provision, calling it “a very early version.” Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin had questioned the retroactivity clause.
The final package passed with a vote of 16-6, with Mayor Olivia Chow and Moise absent. Those opposed included Nunziata, Brad Bradford, Vincent Crisanti, Stephen Holyday, Parthi Kandavel, and James Pasternak.
Councillor Anthony Perruzza, while voting for Burnside's motion, criticized what he saw as sanctimonious remarks. He raised a hypothetical scenario involving a citizen's arrest, an apparent reference to a 2024 incident involving Burnside at a Home Depot.
