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A Kingston, Ont., councillor has resigned from the city’s taxi commission and is calling for it to be dissolved, saying that despite trying multiple times to get financial information from the board, he has “no idea where their money is going.”
In a statement Thursday, Kingscourt-Rideau Coun. Brandon Tozzo said he stepped down from the Kingston Area Taxi Commission (KATC) on July 31, adding it’s now three years behind on its reporting.
“It’s just been a complete and utter lack of financial accountability,” he said in an interview with CBC.
“Trying six times to get any sort of financials and getting none, I think that speaks to me as having more red flags than Soviet Russia.”
Tozzo’s comments come as council is set to consider a staff report raising concerns about the KATC’s missing financial reports for 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The document, written by CAO Lanie Hurdle ahead of the Aug. 12 council meeting, states that despite years of requests, the regulator that oversees local taxis has “continuously failed” to provide any financial information.
It recommends councillors dissolve KATC and have the municipality take over its role as of September 2026.
Joseph Dowser, chair of the commission, said he wasn’t available for an interview, but in an email called Tozzo’s comments a “misrepresentation.”
He argued KATC has made “real progress on transparency and accountability” and should be able to provide all outstanding audits by early 2026.
“We’ve asked council to defer the vote to allow for proper dialogue,” his email read.
Providing annual financial updates is a requirement for partnerships with the city, Hurdle’s report reads.
But despite the fact KATC previously committed to submitting the documents by the end of the year — including sharing the 2022 numbers by sometime in July — the CAO said that, as of the writing of her report, that hadn’t happened.
Commission operates in a ‘vacuum’
Tozzo pointed to that missed deadline in his statement, adding the commission refused to provide year-to-date statements, bank records or employment contracts when he began asking for them in May.
He noted KATC has the authority to create bylaws and has been operating in a “legal and accountability vacuum.” He also called on it to be “dissolved,” stating Kingston and Loyalist Township are the only jurisdictions in Ontario with an independent taxi commission.
In a letter to Kingston’s CAO dated Aug. 5, a lawyer for the commission said it now has a draft of its 2022 financial statements — with the KATC receiving them a few days late due to summer-related delays.
“We further suggest that before any report from the CAO is finalized, it would be in everyone’s best interests to ensure a more transparent and balanced process that includes consultation more broadly with the KATC and necessary stakeholders, to enable that Council receives a fair and accurate report,” the letter reads.
Kingston City Council to vote on fate of Kingston Area Taxi Commission
On August 12, 2025 Kingston City Council will vote on whether or not to disolve the Kingston Area Taxi Commission, which regulates Kingston and Loyalist Township’s taxis. Councillor Brandon Tozzo joins Natalia Goodwin to talk about why he thinks the city could do a better job on its own.
Hurdle’s report recommends council terminate the KATC’s contract for administering taxi bylaws as of Jan. 1, 2026.
It also calls for the city to develop a new accessible taxi program, do everything required to transition cab oversight to the municipality by September 2026 and to notify the province of its intention to withdraw from the commission.
The council agenda includes letters from the region’s two taxi services supporting the move, which they said will lead to increased transparency and “positive changes.”
Chair says paper, ledgers used for past reports
The report follows a June 3 meeting where Dowser appeared before council and acknowledged there was “a question regarding our financials.”
At the time, he blamed the approach taken by previous commission members for the holdup, noting the entire commission — staff and board members — had since changed.
“The problem is they did everything by paper. Instead of having a computerized program … they had a large ledger book for each segment of the industry,” he explained.
Dowser also faced pointed questions from those sitting around the council table, including Portsmouth Coun. Don Amos.
“I have due diligence at my end to make sure taxpayer money is being spent the right way,” Amos said. “I have no idea what your books look like. None. And it’s [been] three years.”
Responding to Amos, Dowser said the audited reports were a top focus, adding he was “on the phone weekly to get this stuff faster to you.”
Asked by Lakeside Coun. Wendy Stephen about the big changeover at KATC, Dowser said it came down to “accountability” and staff with decades of experience choosing to leave rather than changing their approach.
Dowser also told councillors he’d been taking on the staff role of office manager, while juggling his duties as head of the commission at the same time.
Stephen took issue with the dual roles, explaining she felt the governance body and staff should be separate.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to wear both hats, because then it means you’re supervising and governing yourself,” she said. “And that can be really difficult in terms of accountability and transparency.”
Source: cbc
