The Toronto Port Authority made the news again this week with their $6.8 million attempt to gag the non-profit waterfront restoration advocacy group Community AIR.

Like many Toronto taxpayers, I have balked at the lawsuits emanating from, and being launched in the vicinity of, the Port Authority in the past – particularly those launched at public entities who then proceed to settle said lawsuits with my money. But while I am no less galled by a perennially money-losing federal authority suing a non-profit volunteer organization than I am by them suing a municipal government, I might stop short of calling for an injunction preventing them from suing anyone.

If we could legislate against federal agencies suing publicly-funded entities that would suit me fine. But as lawsuits appear to be the Port Authority’s primary source of income, I worry that if we bar them from filing any suits against anyone at all they’ll never be able to pay the $32 million that David Miller claims they owe the city in back taxes.

Photo courtesy James Scott.