And from what other councillors say, this is very typical for her. Sorry, but in my opinion, she is a symbol of all that is rotten on city council.

We all have a rough day now and then…maybe it was an off day for her. Now, if she constantly behaved this way then maybe I would have adifferent opinion but since this appears to be a one time outburst, I could be a little forgiving.

Sometimes stress can get the better of us when we are dealing with a lot on our plate.

When I was a little girl I used to think that success in life was about hard work and effort and while I still adhere to these principals I have realized that often success for many comes from not what they know or do but rather who they know.

It is unfortunate that such a story has to surface. However, I can guarantee that such corruption is prevalent everywhere you look.

Toronto Transit Commission project manager John Cursio has been fired for helping his long-time female companion get a $50,000 photography gig.

The companion, Robin Thoen, also has been told her services photographing public meetings and potential building locations are no longer required.

Meanwhile, the TTC wants to strengthen controls over consultants to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

“We acknowledge there was a conflict of interest that should have been declared,” said TTC spokesman Brad Ross. “We are reviewing our policies now and also doing a broad scope audit (of contracts Cursio oversaw).”

Ross confirmed Monday that Cursio is no longer an employee of the TTC, but said he could not discuss the circumstances because it is a “personnel matter.”

Cursio was the project manager overseeing the design of three large “carhouses,” part of an expansion of the TTC’s fleet. The TTC is paying consultant AECOM Canada $8 million to do the design and Cursio’s job was to manage AECOM’s work, approving sub-consultants and invoices.

The Star reported Sunday that Cursio recommended that AECOM hire West Point Photography, a company owned and run by Thoen, his longtime female companion. Cursio is married, but lived a double life, socializing with Thoen at her East York home and discussing renovation plans that turned a $230,000 house into a well-appointed $705,000 home she sold two years ago.

Cursio’s adult daughter also worked for Thoen at West Point. Recently, Thoen bought a new house, just over a kilometre from Cursio’s home in Etobicoke.

Since May of last year, Cursio approved payments of at least $50,000 in public money from AECOM to West Point. Thoen, an amateur photographer, took photographs of people at public meetings, rankling ratepayers who felt their privacy was invaded at one recent session. Thoen also took photographs of streetscapes where new streetcar lines are planned. There was no contract between AECOM and West Point, just payments.

The TTC said Cursio never should have recommended Thoen for the job. Cursio is a former senior civil servant who was a vice-president at the Ontario Realty Corp. until he abruptly left in 2007. The TTC hired him in 2008. His online resume states that, while at the province-owned ORC, he “directed the sourcing and procurement of external consulting expertise provided by third party contractors and design consultants.” He met Thoen during his time at the ORC.

The Cursio-Thoen issue caused a stir at the TTC as officials realized two problems. They have a strong conflict of interest policy but “it is only as good as the individual who is asked to adhere to it,” spokesman Ross said.

The other problem is that while they have strict policies over the choosing of a design consultant like AECOM (a tendered job), they don’t have a strong policy over TTC staff recommending sub-consultants to companies like AECOM. “We are looking at this and we may need to strengthen our policies,” Ross said.

Auditors at the TTC are now reviewing all billings that came across Cursio’s desk in the almost two years he worked for the transit commission.

The TTC is also this week reminding all staff of its conflict of interest policy, which instructs employees that they are “expected to conduct themselves with personal integrity, ethics, honesty and diligence.”

Employees who are in a conflict must declare it, and remove themselves from the conflict.

As for Thoen’s company, Ross said, “We have asked AECOM that the relationship with West Point Photography be severed.”

AECOM spokeswoman Laura Soucek would only say, “We have suspended the use of West Point until (the TTC) has completed their review of the situation.”

Neither Cursio or Thoen was available for comment Monday. A woman who answered the phone at his matrimonial home said she would take a message.

Project manager John Cursio recommended Robin Thoen for the job, then personally approved payments of public money to her totalling at least $50,000 over the past year. One of Cursio’s grown children worked part-time for Thoen editing photos during this period.

The TTC said Cursio is in a conflict of interest and never should have recommended Thoen for the work. Senior transit officials are investigating. Though Thoen received payments, there is no contract setting out the terms of the job.

Cursio has been off work since the Star raised these matters with him and the TTC just over a week ago.

“That’s a personal matter,” Cursio said when asked by the Star about his relationship with Thoen and payments of public money to her. “You do what you have to do,” Cursio said, before recommending the Star contact TTC public relations.

Thoen has not responded to questions about her contract or the relationship with Cursio. As to the photo contract, she told the Star she has no idea what the pictures are used for. “I don’t know what they do with the photos,” Thoen said.

“I go to the sites. They want before and after shots. I am sorry, I really don’t have much information on this.”

Cursio, who is married and lives in Etobicoke, has allegedly lived a double life for years, according to people who have socialized with him. They said Cursio participated in many discussions about renovation plans at Thoen’s former East York residence and frequently hosted social occasions with her. The people who have socialized with him work in contracting jobs and fear they would lose government contracts if they spoke on the record.

Cursio is a veteran civil servant, who has been with the TTC since the spring of 2008. Prior to that he was at the Ontario Realty Corporation, a Crown agency that owns and manages Ontario government property. He met Thoen in the early 2000s and the two struck up a relationship.

The relationship was an open secret among some contractors and ORC officials. In 2004 Thoen purchased a home on Dunkirk Rd. in East York for $230,000 and Cursio often stayed there. Cursio and Thoen frequently entertained contractors at the home. During this time he helped Thoen plan the renovation of the home, which Thoen sold in 2008 for $705,000. She then purchased a house in Etobicoke for $710,000 on a quiet court, just over one kilometre from Cursio’s matrimonial home.

At the TTC, Cursio is the project manager overseeing part of the ambitious new Transit City project to build eight new Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines to neighbourhoods not served by rapid public transit. His main responsibility is managing the design and construction of three massive “carhouses” to maintain and store new LRT vehicles.

As a senior official with Transit City, Cursio is supposed to sign a “conflict of interest declaration,” which he and other officials are reminded of every few months by email. TTC spokesman Brad Ross said he cannot say for certain that Cursio signed the document.

The policy asks senior staff to declare any association they have with consultants or contractors who will receive payments of public money, not sign any invoices or cheques, and remove themselves from the conflict, said Ross.

In 2008, the TTC issued a tender call looking for a technical consulting company to design the carhouses. Cursio played a key role in evaluating bids for the project, which was awarded in December 2008 to design company AECOM Canada. AECOM will be paid about $8 million to plan the carhouses, and Cursio as project manager is one of three people who approves payments to subcontractors hired by AECOM.

Shortly after AECOM won the bid, Cursio was at a meeting with AECOM officials. Cursio told AECOM that “we need professional photography” on this project, said TTC spokesman Ross. The bid documents provided by AECOM do not list photography as work they are to do for the TTC.

According to Ross, AECOM officials at the meeting asked if Cursio had a recommendation. Cursio recommended West Point Photography.

Ontario records show that West Point Photography was only a few months old at the time, incorporated in August 2008, based out of Thoen’s new home in Etobicoke. On her website, Thoen features numerous photographs of what she describes as “creative studies.” Among the photos: dogs, shells in water, “water birds,” and an orchid.

“Robin’s creative photography is an eclectic array of focus that include abstract works, portraitures and studio art,” her website states. A second section of the website describes her experience in construction photography. “Tracking the progress of construction projects is a specialty that West Point Photography has pursued for over many years,” the website states, describing the fledgling company.

The TTC’s Ross, who has been looking into the allegations of conflict of interest, said there is no written contract between AECOM and West Point. He said that between May 2009 and the present, Cursio approved payments to West Point of at least $50,000.

Thoen has taken photos of potential construction sites and streetscapes and also has photographed ratepayers at public meetings the TTC has held. At one recent meeting, over the proposed site near Lake Shore Blvd. and Leslie St., Cursio and Thoen were present and residents and community journalists who attended say Thoen took numerous pictures of residents critical of the TTC plans.

“A lot of people were concerned about the photographer,” said Leslieville resident Caron Court, who attended the meeting to object to the plan that will have the rail line running close to her home. “We did not understand why she was taking our picture.” Court said she argued with Cursio at the meeting, and described him as “rude and arrogant.”

AECOM would not discuss the matter with the Star. In a written statement, communications manager Laura Soucek said AECOM “is not aware of any association between Mr. Cursio and West Point Photography.”

Soucek said West Point was selected “after following a thorough assessment and evaluation process” and AECOM did not feel it was under “any obligation to use” the company. The Star pointed out West Point’s slim resumé and AECOM’s Soucek then said “we undertook what we believed to be an appropriate level of due diligence prior to retaining West Point.”

When the Star first approached Cursio last week, he said, “West Point is doing a contract for us through AECOM” and would not answer further questions. The Star informed him it was investigating allegations of conflict of interest.

Next, the Star contacted the TTC and asked if officials there were aware of the Cursio-Thoen connection.

TTC officials, including a lawyer, met with Cursio, who denied any connection with Thoen, but did say they “have had lunch,” Ross said.

After the Star did further research, and posed numerous questions to Cursio through the TTC, Cursio’s story changed a bit.

“He has had coffee in her home,” said Ross, after speaking with Cursio. Ross said Cursio also said, after being asked about his children working for Thoen, that his daughter had worked for her over a summer period.

Ross said Cursio had also recently tried to get Thoen a full-time job as a community liaison for the TTC, but hiring officials did not select her.

“We have told Mr. Cursio that this conflict should have been declared” and he should not have signed any documents relating to the West Point payments.

Cursio has now told his boss at the TTC that he will not answer any more questions.

“We are looking at all invoices from West Point now and we want to make sure (the TTC) got value for its money,” Ross said.