MPPs disclose: whisky gifts, blue-chip stocks, side hustles and a new homeowner
The Office of the Integrity Commissioner dropped its annual MPP disclosure statements yesterday. Queen’s Park Today unearthed some tidbits.
Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli and Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod both declared commemorative bottles of Canadian Club they were gifted during a museum tour; Fedeli said he later donated his bottle to an hospital auction in his riding.
NDP MPP Taras Natyshak got into the investment game. He disclosed a portfolio of blue-chip stocks, including shares in TC Energy, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Pembina Pipeline Corp., Restaurant Brands International and some big five banks. None of these were included in his disclosures from previous years. PC MPP Lorne Coe also declared a broad new portfolio.
NDP MPP Gurratan Singh, who boasts about his love of vegetarian fare in his social media profile, owns shares in Impossible Foods, a U.S.-based company developing plant-based meat.
The Taipei Economic & Cultural Office offered up an all-expense-paid trip to Taiwan to a lucky delegation of lawmakers. PC MPPs Robin Martin, Aris Babikian, Randy Pettapiece, Michael Parsa and NDP MPP Suze Morrison all attended, per their disclosures.
PC MPP Sheref Sabawy says he continues to take home a salary from George Brown College, where he was an IT professor before being elected, as well as consulting income via Canadian Computer Technology Inc.
His benchmate Nina Tangri is still earning commissions from her insurance brokerage, while Natalia Kusendova declared the nursing pay she earned when she donned her scrubs during the pandemic. PC MPP Daryl Kramp earned “director’s fees” thanks to his board seat at Vivo Cannabis.
“Investment income” was a popular declaration among top PCs, such as Peter Bethlenfalvy, Jeff Yurek and former front-bencher Rod Phillips. Merrilee Fullerton declared income through her husband’s family trust.
Newlywed PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff appears to also be a new homeowner; 2020 was the first year he declared a mortgage on his liability line.
There are a lot of landlords in the legislature. Sixteen per cent of members declared rental income on their disclosures, including 11 PCs, seven New Democrats, a Liberal and Roman Baber.