A disgraced top official's renewed allegations of tampering with city tow-truck licences were rejected yesterday by Toronto Mayor David Miller.
"That's not possible," he told reporters, responding to former municipal licensing and standards executive director Pamela Coburn's assertion, made in some news outlets yesterday, that criminal records possibly were deleted from city files to make it easier for suspected biker gang members to get tow-truck licences.
"That's just simply not possible with our computer system," the mayor said.
However, Mr. Miller now says a more frequent check of licence holders for criminal records, more often than the current standard of every four years, is "under review."
One issue is whether the city can -- or should -- differentiate among the 55,000 people who hold licences with the city (for tow trucks, taxis, street vendors and massage parlours). In effect, should certain occupations be put under closer scrutiny for criminal influence?
The mayor's promise of a review marks a change to comments he made two weeks ago, after the mass killing of eight bikers (including two Toronto tow-truck drivers with no criminal records).
At that time, Mr. Miller said the city planned no change in its "stringent" screening of licences, but acknowledged long-held rumours of possible biker-gang members in the tow-truck industry. "We can only operate from fact," he said at the time. "When people have criminal records, they are denied a tow-truck licence in Toronto."
Lenna Bradburn, the new executive director of the licensing division, was present at the mayor's news conference and later told reporters that computer records can be changed only by the information technology administrator and, only then, based on a documented request.
In addition to a paper trail of any changes, a hard copy is kept separate from licensing division records.
But a lawyer for Ms. Coburn, who is planning a lawsuit against the city for being fired "with cause" last fall, said his client remains skeptical that enough safeguards are in place.
