Ontario city spent more than $1,700 on Ubers during 10-day Italy trade mission

A Vaughan delegation spent more than $1,700 on Uber rides during a 10-day trade mission to Italy that also included sightseeing and a winery tour, according to records obtained by Global News.

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It just doesn’t seem like a good use of these councillors’ time and a good use of money to fund these meetings.

Six people travelled from the Toronto-area municipality in July 2024. The delegation included Deputy Mayor Linda Jackson, Coun. Mario Ferri, Jackson’s executive assistant and three economic development staff members. The group visited a town in Lazio, Milan and Rome before returning to Canada.

Receipts, calendars, emails and credit card statements show the delegation used taxis for some journeys of less than two kilometres and spent thousands of dollars on a chartered bus. Officials also met Italian businesses, elected officials and chambers of commerce. The city said the trip’s total budget was $120,000, including $30,000 from the federal government, with some costs paid through councillors’ expense accounts.

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I don’t know why they couldn’t just have a Zoom call. Zoom is pretty popular, we’ve been using it for six years since 2020. I’m not sure why they couldn’t use Zoom.

Noah Jarvis, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, questioned whether the spending and travel were justified. “It just doesn’t seem like a good use of these councillors’ time and a good use of money to fund these meetings,” he said. The city defended the mission, saying it generated engagement with companies and trade organizations and created opportunities involving trade, investment and talent development.

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The City believes the mission was productive in advancing both economic and cultural development, in addition to intergovernmental objectives.