Vaughan Cons quit - Nice to see some scruples

Quote:

“I’m a Canadian and a taxpayer first,” said Richard Lorello, who ran as a Conservative candidate in the riding in 2008. “It didn’t look right to me. If it was the Liberal party doing this, (the) Conservatives would be jumping up and down.”

Tracey Kent, a five-year member of the association, also resigned.

The federal government announced in March it would give $10 million to the Vaughan Health Campus of Care, a private non-profit group founded in 2007 with the intention of bringing a hospital to the city. Despite its population of 300,000, Vaughan doesn’t have a hospital.

Michael DeGasperis, the hospital group’s chair, and Sam Ciccolini, the director, ran Fantino’s successful byelection fundraising campaign in November 2010.

“It seems to me like we’re rewarding people for helping Mr. Fantino on his campaign,” Lorello said. “It doesn’t look right. It’s inappropriate.”

The grant money itself won’t go toward constructing a hospital, which is a provincial task. Instead, it’s earmarked to help develop a site for health-related facilities to complement a hospital planned for a 35-hectare lot.

Lorello is uncomfortable with $10 million in public funds going to a private company he claims has yet to publicly release a business plan.

He believes Ottawa would have been better off giving the money directly to York Central Hospital, which is in charge of bringing the hospital to Vaughan.

“I had actually requested to meet with Mr. Fantino and I was told to put my concerns in writing,” Lorello said. “I kind of took exception to that because all I was going to do was provide some advice.”