The appellant, a city councillor, appealed a declaration that he contravened the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by failing to disclose a pecuniary interest in a municipal tax sale.
The appellant had expressed interest in bidding on a property and arranged to view it before formally submitting a bid through his corporation.
He did not declare his interest at council meetings where the property's sale was discussed prior to his bid submission.
The Divisional Court dismissed the appeal, holding that the appellant's pecuniary interest crystallized when he first became interested in purchasing the property, not when he submitted the bid.
The court found the saving provision for inadvertence or error in judgment did not apply and upheld the four-year disqualification from city council.
