Newly released documents show that four of the six city employees who participated in Olivia Chow’s film mission didn’t fly back until days after it ended in London on July 12.
Airline receipts show that two of them, film office representatives Marguerite Pigott and Jessica Menagh, weren’t even in London when they flew back to Toronto, hopping jets from Edinburgh, Scotland, and Dublin, Ireland, respectively.
Other documents show while Chow and a staffer flew back at the mission’s end, her chief of staff Karla Webber-Gallagher stayed in London until July 14.
An invoice for per diem amounts, meanwhile, shows a third city employee, Clare Barnett, Toronto’s director of business growth, took three “personal days” before her July 15 flight from London’s Heathrow Airport.
These extra documents were provided on Tuesday after theToronto Sunreceived a package of expenses for the film mission that did not include spending by Chow or Pigott.
Barnett was not even listed as part of the film mission in a final report that was considered by a city hall committee Tuesday morning. In a film-worthy plot twist, a spokesman toldThe Toronto Sunon Tuesday evening that Barnett was in Europe as something of a secret twin of Chow’s movie mission, and “to achieve efficiencies and save money, the city combined two separate missions together.”
The second mission was led by Barnett and “contained separate business activities … This mission took place from July 7 to 11 and continued for the full day on July 11,” Russell Baker, the city’s media relations director, said in a lengthy statement. That necessitated a stay at a hotel, the Marriott Regents Park, that appeared in Barnett’s expenses but wasn’t explained by other documents provided to theSun.
Barnett’s presence is just one of several inconsistencies between that committee report and hundreds of pages worth of receipts and other files, provided this month after a long-delayed freedom-of-information request.
It seems City Hall’s economic and community development committee was aware of those discrepancies, although the film mission prompted no debate at Tuesday’s meeting. Alejandra Bravo, who chairs the committee, sent the final report on the mission back to Toronto’s general manager for economic development and culture “ to finalize costs .”
MAYOR ON A MISSION
The film mission to Dublin and London, which was designed to support Toronto’s screen industry amid trade strife with the United States, involved an expense of more than $2,500 on alcohol and $700 for a limo trip, as theSunhas reported .
Baker defended the travel expenses as “typical” and “modest,” and the mission as vital to a Toronto business sector. A limo service was necessary as the mission needed an SUV to shuttle six people to Pinewood Studios, a remote location outside of London, Baker said.
“No alcohol or other discretionary expenses were paid for by city taxpayers,” Baker said, as sponsorship revenue, chipped in by industry representatives who participated in the mission, more than offset what a caterer charged to supply booze for a reception hosted by the city.
City Hall didn’t provide theSunwith any public announcement of Barnett’s business mission, and said no report on it is due until April 2026. Further, the idea of a secondary mission doesn’t fit with the documents theSunreceived.
Barnett is listed as attending events in Dublin on July 6, before her mission would’ve began. A social media post by Barnett herself also appears to contradict the idea.
“An excellent visit to London, United Kingdom, this week!” Barnett wrote on LinkedIn in July. “Proud to be part of an all woman lead mission to promote Toronto’s economic development value proposition, lead (sic) by Mayor Olivia Chow.”
The post includes a photo of Barnett and Chow with protocol chief Aretha Phillip, Chow’s chief of staff Webber-Gallagher and city film commissioner Pigott outside the High Commission of Canada in London, also known as Canada House, which served as a sort of base of operations for the film mission.
Phillip was also not listed as part of the mission in the committee report. City Hall did not explain that discrepancy, and simply said her role was “to support non-business engagement” with public officials.
No airline receipts were provided for Phillip, but it appears she may have flown home early. She claimed no expenses after July 11, and on that day took two taxi rides and was reimbursed $286.79 by a hotel near Canada House.
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It’s unclear why Menagh returned to Dublin or what business Pigott had in Scotland. TheSunasked City Hall but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Full expenses were initially not provided for Pigott, Chow or the mayor’s director of tour, Devon Sissons. Chow’s office said she and Sissons flew back earlier than planned on July 11, as someone close to her had fallen ill.
Chow’s expenses came to $4,645, the smallest total of the seven city representatives on the mission, and a receipt shows she flew economy class. Sissons, however, racked up $7,400 in expenses – and it appears $2,772 was paid back to him in cash.
It appears Sissons may have taken care of Chow’s taxis, as he claimed $695 on ground transportation and she claimed none. However, he also claimed a $1,476 personal reimbursement for accommodations, in addition to the $2,241 charged in his name to a city credit card. Chow’s office said Sissons had been mistakenly charged by their hotel in Dublin and was reimbursed for that later.
Webber-Gallagher stayed for an additional two nights “at her own expense,” the mayor’s office said, providing receipts.
“Your story inaccurately depicts the mission, the expenses, the number of meetings the mayor participated in, and is misleading on a number of facts,” Shirven Rezvany, of the mayor’s office, wrote in an email, referring to theSun’s earlier article. “For example, no alcohol was paid for by taxpayers.”
While theSunasked if Chow’s office would participate in an interview six days before the article’s publication, and also sent a handful of followup emails, Rezvany wrote that in future, “we would appreciate an opportunity to respond to questions and provide clarifying information in advance of publication.”
Pigott’s spending, meanwhile, came to $5,095. Others claimed roughly $5,000 in expenses each, as theSunhas reported.
There were yet more inconsistencies. The committee report said $15,849 was spent for “business events and receptions.” City Hall told theSunthat the $16,694 spent in total on receptions – more than what appears in the report – includes roughly $11,000 for a soiree at Canada House and a $5,000 contribution by the Canadian Media Producers Association.
While theSunhas the invoice for that $5,000 sponsorship, it has no receipts for the Dublin event it was meant to pay for. It’s also unclear why the city apparently treated a $5,000 sponsorship as an expense.
