From ice cubes to sewing kits, the city pays

Toronto councillors have hit taxpayers up for French lessons, ice for sculptures, sewing kits and thousands of dollars in charitable donations, according to a sampling of office expense records. Councillor Rob Ford is slowly poring over details of the receipts filed by his colleagues for their taxpayer-funded office budgets. Each of Toronto's 44 councillors is allotted an annual office budget of up to $53,100.

"After a while, push comes to shove. I really wanted to get down and show people what this ($53,100) is about," said Ford, who spent only $4 of his office budget last year.

He added that "CEOs of multi-million corporations don't have expense accounts like this."

Ford has completed scrutinizing the records of five councillors: Chris Korwin-Kuzcynski, Irene Jones, Sandra Bussin, Pam McConnell and Sherene Shaw.

Korwin-Kuczynski was the top spender last year, using $52,600 of his office budget.

His expenses include $900 worth of ice blocks for a sculpting event in his ward, $100 for a pumpkin-carving contest trophies, $264 for an office refrigerator, and $2,445 in sponsorships and donations to organizations.

Korwin-Kuzcynski makes no apologies for using his office budget to sponsor groups and events in his ward -- Parkdale-High Park (Ward 14).

"I should take care of my kids in my community, making sure they're not on the streets of Parkdale," Korwin-Kuzcynski said.

As for Shaw, her expenses came to $44,105 last year and included $740 worth of French classes.

Shaw said she took the lessons to help her better perform duties as a member of the city's French committee.

Jones, who spent $45,900 of her office budget, paid $1,170 for promotional sewing kits.

"That was a PR thing. We found that we could give it to a lot of low-income people," said Jones.

She chose to give out the kits instead of fridge magnets.

McConnell, who spent $35,400 of last year's office budget, billed $3,600 worth of taxi rides while serving her downtown ward. McConnell, who suffers from a visual impairment, said she is unable to drive and needed to get around on business.

Bussin, who spent $50,600 of her office budget last year, billed taxpayers for $3,194 in sponsorships and donations. She could not be reached for comment yesterday.

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OFFICE EXPENSES

Here are examples of what councillors billed to their office budgets:

- CHRIS KORWIN-KUCZYNSKI:

-- $2,445 for sponsorships and donations.

-- $900 for ice blocks for an ice-sculpting event.

-- $100 for pumpkin-carving contest trophies.

- IRENE JONES:

-- $920 for promotional sewing kits that were handed out to people.

-- $217 for portraits of herself.

- SHERENE SHAW:

-- $740 for French lessons.

-- $602 for golf shirts, business card holders and other items that were presented to people at various functions.

-- $1,543 for computer equipment.

- PAM MCCONNELL:

-- $3,600 for taxis.

-- $125 for a Toronto Women's Bathhouse Defence Fund fundraiser.

-- $295 for a staff Christmas party at a Richmond St. restaurant.

- SANDRA BUSSIN:

-- $3,194 for donations and sponsorships.

-- $375 for art for her office.

-- $75 for tickets for the City Hall press gallery's Christmas party.