Could Pickering spending becoming uncontrolled and sloppy, for lack of better phrasing. Consider the next piece below:
Pickering proposal gives official a $100,000 freehand
Durham Post.ca
September 17, 2025
Eudore R. Chand
Pickering residents have expressed outrage over a City of Pickering proposal that gives one of its officials a freehand to decide how up to $100,000 will be used without any oversight.
“Wow! This proposal gives a single individual the ability to spend up to $100,000 of taxpayers’ money on public art projects without council oversight. That’s essentially handing over the city’s credit card with no checks or balances until 2027?” said John Meloche, a concerned resident.
“That the purchasing policy (PUR 010) be revised to change the dollar threshold amount that requires council approval from $25,000 to $100,000 for public art purchases or public art projects,” says a Pickering document made public on social media.
“This is not a small administrative change — it’s a massive shift in accountability. The threshold is being raised from $25,000 to $100,000, quadrupling the spending power without requiring council approval,” Meloche pointed out.
The document allows until the first quarter of 2027 before the impact of the authorization is evaluated.
It states that: “…community services staff report back to council in the first quarter of 2027 evaluating these changes.”
“What possible rationale could justify removing elected council from decisions on six-figure expenditures of public money? Transparency and oversight should be strengthened, not weakened,” said Meloche crediting Councillor Lisa Robinson for bringing this to light.
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IF…that’s a big if. If the City Councillors spend chunks of money like that without discussion, debate and council consideration, then I am ready to complain and get pissed off. But somehow I feel Pickering Council is more principled and ethically minded than that. Knowing each councillor personally, I have seen them to be rationale, ethical people. None gives me the feeling that they would spend taxpayer money frivolously or without strong debate and discussion about the expenditure.
A point in the article that made me sit up taking extra notice is that this expenditure was spot lighted by Councillor Lisa Robinson. Councillor Robinson may deserve criticism and complaints in many areas, maybe justifiably more than other councillors but one thing she continually harps on is careless expenditures by the City. This art exhibit expenditure likely was not lightly treated. However, the Councillors, including Robinson too, can speak for themselves.
Whether or not the City should spend money like this may be the bigger question here. However, to suggest that this expenditure did not have serious and city council wide discussion seems like a stretch in my opinion. I think our Councillors and Mayor are more ethically and community accountability minded than the article implies.
Comment:
The spending on “Artwork” is being left up to a staff member, not the Mayor as you suggest below. $100,000.00 is a large sum of money to be spent on art, especially during economic hard times that are predicted to worsen. Art is important but is a luxury item, in my opinion, and luxury items are and should be obtained when our economic times revive. There should be a tight rein kept on all spending during these economic times, not easing the ability to purchase luxury items. The population of Pickering is 100,000, and this is like saying to all residents that you are to reach into your pocket and give up a dollar with no say over what the dollar is for. This should be a period of constraint, taking care of those that have little to nothing first.
Mike B.
