Transparency is at the heart of an accountable government - or at least it should be. However, two examples from city hall point to a culture of secrecy where transparency seems to run second fiddle to politicians' personal interests.

First up: the city's the $220,000 bailout of the Burton Cummings Theatre in 2005. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) admonished council for caving into yet another arts group that demonstrated their inability to manage both private and public funds. But, little did we know that just six months before the vote took place Mayor Sam Katz had sold off his financial interest in the theatre for $50,000.

This may seem rather innocuous, but couple this with the mayor's sweetheart deal he received for the city's Goldeyes parking lot and his friend's lucrative package to put a Salisbury House on the Esplanade Riel bridge, one has to wonder if Mayor Katz is acting in his best interest or that of city taxpayers.

Documents obtained from land titles and released by mayoral candidate Kaj Hasselriis also show that a second mortgage had been taken out on the Cummings Theatre (which used to be called the Walker Theatre). Katz told media the $330,000 second mortgage, was taken out to cover a number of short-terms loans he had provided.

For some time now, Hasselriis has been calling on Katz to put all his business interests in a blind trust. The CTF agrees. And not the "venetian blind" trusts that allow politicians to remain informed about their business interests, but a truly blind trust where assets are in third-party management.

As far as municipal conflict of interest rules go, Katz broke none of them. However, one could drive a Mack truck through the loose requirements. Both provincially and federally, politicians have onerous rules to follow when it comes to their personal business dealings. Yet the same standards do not apply to municipal politicians.

Some may argue that putting more stringent rules in place would deter those from the business community from seeking public office. That may be a legitimate concern, but so too is the expectation that our politicians serve in the public interest. We have to question Katz's insistence to not put his business dealings in a blind trust, particularly at a time when public cynicism towards politicians remains high.

Unfortunately, the secrecy from the Katz camp doesn't end there.
In May of 2006, the mayor's office used taxpayers' money to pay for a poll that asked residents what they thought of the mayor's performance and their opinion regarding a controversial hog processing plant to be built in St. Boniface.

Opponents of the hog processing plant filed a freedom of information request for the poll results which were swiftly denied by city hall under the overused "advice to government" exemption. Even an appeal to the provincial Ombudsman who demanded release of the poll, didn't work.

In a letter to Winnipeg's city clerk's office, the Ombudsman noted when the withheld documents were requested by her office for review, "it was apparent that some of the requested information was not provided." She went on to say, "based on our review of this matter, I find that the cited exceptions to disclosure do not apply to the withheld information." In other words, the lame excuse the city came up with to hold onto the taxpayer- funded poll was flimsy and the documents should be released.

The polling issue is not going away anytime soon as the city now has two weeks to respond. Unfortunately, by the time the information r is released, voting will be long over and the 'trust' won't be as blind as taxpayers.