David Crombie and Ian Morrison –
We don’t often get the opportunity to acknowledge our municipal councillors for their hard work, accomplishments and service to us in elected office. But last year we came together to celebrate the life of the late Karl Jaffary, who served on Toronto City Council in the 1970s – when Toronto was living through a major change in its history, prospects and sense of itself.
Representing a downtown Ward, Karl was keenly aware of profound changes refashioning the city’s core. His moral passion impelled him to serve the needs of many constituents and others caught up in those changes. He helped hone the edges of debate on the future of the city – and his deep sense of public service commanded attention and influenced outcomes for the good.
When David served as Toronto’s mayor between 1972 and 1978, Karl was an essential ally on the Executive Committee, focusing on managing the city’s public service. Karl’s gifted intellect, dogged determination and deep sense of public service commanded a full commitment to his work every day.
David recalls Karl as enterprising, talented and dogged on issues he considered important. One example: until the early 1970s, the cost of paving laneways in Toronto was borne by abutting landowners, not the City. As a result, Toronto’s lanes were often dirty, ugly, even unsafe – especially for children. Only the provincial government could change the law, if the City requested it.
One day by chance, Karl bumped into the minister of municipal affairs and explained the situation. The minister indicated that he was sympathetic, but that he was leaving the ministry the next day and that, in any case, the change would require a City Council resolution. When pressed by Karl, the minister – apparently with a twinkle in his eye – agreed that an appropriate document signed by the mayor would suffice. Karl went to City Hall the next morning and worked on a document with the city solicitor, got a signature from David, hustled up to Queen’s Park and had the minister sign off by the end of business that day. The deed was done!
Karl went on to practise municipal law – brilliantly. His influence reached far beyond Toronto. For example, he served the people of British Columbia through his advice on the province’s introduction of rent controls.
Karl also served as legal advisor to Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, which Ian co-founded in 1985. Some may remember its big launch as “Friends of Public Broadcasting” with a two-page ad in the national edition of The Globe and Mail, featuring a message to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney composed by the late Peter C. Newman, author and former Toronto Star editor.
A few days later, Ian received a letter from a Montreal lawyer acting for the “Vermont Friends of Public Broadcasting” demanding that Friends cease and desist from using its name. Karl replied on Friends’ behalf: “I act for the ‘Friends of Public Broadcasting’. I note that your client, though an American broadcaster, has Canadian charitable status. This fact need not concern us.” That was the last Friends ever heard from that lawyer.
Karl also served as the lawyer for the Canadian Association for Adult Education, of which Ian was executive director. In the late 1980s, the association was negotiating a sub-lease with a law firm sharing its small building on Prince Arthur Avenue. Karl advised Ian to ask the firm to draw up a lease agreement. The draft came back from an entity called “Venceremos Inc.”
Knowing that a lawyer’s membership in the bar association, depends on his or her solvency, Karl replied, “In order to save us the embarrassment of having to inquire who among your partners is the most creditworthy, we require all of you to co-sign the lease.”
That was Karl Jaffary: clever, witty and elegantly articulate.
Looking back upon Karl’s many contributions to the public good, we reflect on the contributions of untold numbers of municipal politicians across the land, past, present and future – who, like Karl, have rolled up their sleeves to improve their communities – and to recognize and celebrate them. Canada needs many more like him!
[Karl Jaffary, alderman on City Council from 1969 to 1974, died in July 2024.]
