… this is a continuation of part 1
December, 1988. NCJW gets a call from a reporter wanting to set up a meeting to talk about our successful non-profit housing project. Great! We were all excited about it. On the morning of the interview, Nita Goldband, NCJW Toronto Section president has the flu and so I meet with the reporter alone.
After almost an hour and a half of talking about our project and some others that we have volunteered to help get underway, including the Famee Furlane in Vaughan, and the Verdiroc/Greenwin project in Mississauga, the reporter puts down her notebook and takes out a sheet of paper. She looks up at me and says,
“This is a photocopy of cheques NCJW wrote to buy tables at political fundraising events. That is illegal!”
Set up! Who? Why?
“Well, considering that ten of us attended those dinners quite openly, including Lesley Miller whose husband is Ron Miller, of Robins, Appleby who is our lawyer, I doubt it,” I answered. “Are you sure you have been given the right information?”
“Oh yes,” she answered. “One of your former staffers made photo copies of lots of stuff just before she was fired, and she took them to Howard Levitt who then contacted the press.
Who the hell is Howard Levitt?
“Apparently Levitt has been trying to get a Liberal nomination.” she went on after she noticed the blank look in my face, “but I hear that Peterson won’t let it happen. So Levitt probably has his own agenda”.
“Tell me”, I said with a smile, “Aren’t you breaking your reporter’s confidentiality agreement or whatever you guys promise in order to get information?”
“Not in this case. It will soon all be out”, she answered, “So I wanted you to know that I think you have done lots of good stuff and I want to help you. If you share the whole story with me, I will make sure your side is fairly presented”.
Right- and Santa Claus is alive and well and living in Oakville.
Two months later, the first in a series of articles by several reporters and several media outlets began. They lasted without any let up for two years. It is all documented ad nauseum .
In April, 1989 Gordon Ashworth and I were having lunch at Il Posto. We had been strategizing about the media – all kinds of people were crawling out of the woodwork to get their pictures in the papers – many of whom I had never even met.
“Bob Nixon wants to see you!” he said. “Something to do with Ontario Place”.
Well, that was good news. I loved Ontario Place – I had a great team and at that point, only I knew that we were going to have a good financial report for year ending March, 1989.
When I got to Bob Nixon’s office, Murray Elston, Minister of Health and George Smitherman, one of his aides and also one of Vince Borg’s political operatives, were sitting in reception.
“Hi guys”.
Murray smiled, as he always did, but Georgie smirked. I can still see that smirk as I write this blog 25 years later.
“Don’t bother sitting down Patti,” snarled Nixon as he closed the door. “You aren’t going to be here that long.
“I just got a look at the first draft of Ontario Place’s financial statement. Where did you get an interest income line of $250,000?”
PS – “One of my bureaucrats thought he found a loophole – a loophole that allowed us to receive the entire years’ allocation in April. I looked at it and agreed. The province of Saskatchewan was paying 12% on its T-bills. “
Nixon – “who authorized you to do that?”
PS – “I authorized myself. It was an opportunity to make some money to offset the deficit – and hey, I never asked your permission to start charging for the signage along the Lakeshore either. That added close to $100,000 to our income line. How come you never questioned me about that? I pay more in income taxes than you make in a year so don’t tell me how to make money!”
“Nixon – “I told David not to get involved with you people. You are pushy, loud and you don’t follow protocol.”
Ding dong! The bell just went off in the ring! Button pushed. I am no longer in a Cabinet Minister’s office – I am holding my little brother Joey’s hand as we walk along Woburn Ave to school to face taunts of “Dirty Jew” from the bullies.
PS – “Go f…. yourself”.
And with that stupid outburst, I had just signed my own death warrant.
June, 1989. Vermont. I received a telephone message to call home. Remember – in those days – no internet, no texting, no smart phones, no nothing. Erratic faxes and answering machines. The caller was Peter Atkinson, one of my lawyers from Aird & Berlis.
“I am off your case”, he said with no preamble. “There is a report in the media that you gave Gordon Ashworth a fridge”.
PS – “I didn’t give anyone a fridge. What are you talking about?”
Atkinson – “The information is coming from Robert Nixon’s office. Rumour has it that Giampietri made threats and John Webster confirmed it. I am no longer acting for you”.
Thanks a lot. Interesting how that expression, ‘what goes around comes around’ worked out for Peter Atkinson. He was a lawyer involved with Conrad Black and he was eventually disbarred – I wonder if during his own trial and conviction in the media he remembered me and how he had abandoned me because of a rumour.
“Keep your mouth shut!” Those were the instructions from everyone when I returned home. “Say nothing! This will pass!”
A year earlier I had been standing next to Dyanne Ashworth at Midnorthern Appliances when she gave $500 cash to Willy Gnat for the fridge she had just ordered. Yes it was a wholesale price – but so what? That fridge created a judicial inquiry that was eventually thrown out by the Supreme Court of Canada. It also created fridge magnets and jokes and snide remarks. And it ended my dreams – but not completely.
The media was in a frenzy – but always with the caveat “alleged” before printing some rumours that would have been funny if they hadn’t been about me. When the Starr Inquiry was thrown out by the Supreme Court in April, 1990, Austin Cooper called me a few days later and told me that I was going to be charged with criminal offences. He had arranged to ‘turn me in’ at a police station somewhere in the east end in order to avoid the media. I was to pick him up at his office on Queen St. and he would tell me all about it.
Fraud, breach of trust, you name it, I was charged.
“Fraud?” I shrieked. “We were volunteers. Nobody ever got any money. We never even reimbursed our parking! I even waived my per diem for being the Chairman of Ontario Place!”
“Mendelow and Harold Green are denying that they made a deal with you to put up the $325,000 in-kind for your share of Council House’s renovation,” said Austin. “Everyone is protecting their own turf now”.
In 1979 Marty Mendelow, an architect and pilot was a leader in the Jewish community. He asked me to become involved in the Canadian Jewish Congress, the elected body of Canadian Jewry. He also became my good friend and mentor. Many of us went to Jewish Federation meetings in Boston and Atlanta squeezed into his private plane. It was lots of fun. He was also a good friend of Harold Green.
“But the other girls were right there” I said. “And the Verdiroc/Greenwin housing project was approved That was the deal!”
“The girls are not going to speak to anyone to corroborate anything” said Austin. “Ron Miller was NCJW’s lawyer and he has to protect himself”.
At the end of the day, I was on my own. I thought about Fred Kasravi, a Liberal fundraiser and a really nice man. We used to lunch at Winstons and talk politics. I was with him on two occasions when he went to see David Peterson to deliver the newspapers. Vince Borg was also there.
June 13, 1991. 10:30 p.m. Riderwood park.
“The OPP expected to get the Italians after all this. They are disappointed. Do you have anything to tell me?”
PS – “I don’t know anything to tell you”. I thought of Fred Kasvari’s visits to Peterson’s office. But that wasn’t what the OPP wanted to know.
“If you change your mind, let me know”.
PS – “there is nothing to change – I never had any insider access. I was just one of the girls”.
1999 – 8 years later
Business was not doing well. I called Mel Lastman to ask if he could help me get a per diem appointment or two to take some of the financial pressure off.
“Sure”, he answered. “My office will get back to you”.
Six months later, I called Tom Jakobek and asked the same question. I got the same answer. Silence. Well, now I really was on my own.
2000
Rabbi Joseph Zaltzman of the JRCC hired me on a ten month contract despite objections from some of the members of his Board. He is a special man and I learned a lot from him.
2002
Karen Goldenberg, President & CEO of JVS Toronto hired me on contract despite objections from some of her Board members. Karen is a courageous, dynamic woman who stood behind the principles of JVS – helping people who need help to become employable. The support of Mel Eisen, Igor Korenzvit, Robin Cardozo and Moshe Greengarten made it possible for me to start a new chapter.
2014 – the finale
No more Starr Affair blogs – comments – speeches or debates. It is over. Twenty-five years later, I am into so many interesting things – I will be working on my fourth novel as soon as I get some time – and my blogs will be political – municipal, provincial and then federal. Prime Minister Harper has stood tall in support of Israel and the Jewish community here in Canada. Any of you remember any other politician who did that? I will be a part of the team working on his re-election.
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