Toronto City Hall warns staff: No World Cup freebies

The city manager sent a memo to all City of Toronto staff last week that ordered bureaucrats to not accept gifts, including 'access' to World Cup events

Published Jun 01, 2026  •  Last updated 19 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

The 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown clock is seen outside Toronto City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Photo by Justin Holmes /Toronto Sun

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The head honcho at Toronto City Hall has warned the municipal public service not to “accept gifts and benefits related to the World Cup,” the Toronto Sun has learned.

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Last week, city manager Paul Johnson sent a memo to all City of Toronto staff, a representative for the municipal government has confirmed. A copy of that memo was leaked to the Sun.

City bureaucrats “cannot accept gifts and benefits related to the World Cup, regardless of who offers them,” as per the city’s public service bylaw, the memo says. That includes tickets to matches and official events such as the FIFA Fan Festival, as well as “access credentials, VIP access or hospitality packages,” and “special access to receptions or events.”

While there are exceptions for staff required to attend events, “in these circumstances, staff must be able to confirm, if requested, that they have been assigned to work at these events or must have documentation supporting their attendance as part of other official duties,” the memo says.

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The memo follows reporting by the Sun on the on-the-job attendance by top bureaucrats at big-ticket events in Toronto, notably the 2025 World Series.

Sunshine Listers attended at least one World Series game

A number of Sunshine Listers, including the top executives at the four emergency branches of Toronto’s municipal government, were confirmed to have attended at least one game during the Major League Baseball championship series last fall.

City Hall has not explained what duties had to be performed at the ballpark by the chiefs of Toronto’s police, fire or paramedic services, or the executive director of city hall’s emergency management division.

A freedom-of-information request confirmed that that last executive, Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, worked at the Rogers Centre during Games 6 and 7 of the World Series and four Taylor Swift concerts in November 2024.

Toronto Paramedic Services’ chief and two deputy chiefs also worked at the stadium either during the Swift concert series or the Blue Jays’ 2025 post-season.

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While city officials have yet to provide specifics about the duties and days worked by TFS Chief Jim Jessop, left, and TPS Chief Myron Demkiw at the Rogers Centre during recent big-ticket events, social media photos show them together during Game 1 of the World Series. Photo by Jim Jessop via X

‘With your own resources’

Neither Beaven-Desjardins nor the paramedic services’ executives worked at the Rogers Centre at any other time in either 2024 or 2025, the freedom-of-information request showed.

While the Sun also requested similar lists of working days for executives with the Toronto Police Service and Toronto Fire Services, neither would confirm when their chiefs or deputy chiefs were at the venue.

Toronto Fire told the Sun that it believes its executive-level staff don’t technically work shifts, and thus the freedom-of-information request doesn’t apply to them.

TPS, meanwhile, is months late in responding to the freedom-of-information request.

However, both TFS and TPS have acknowledged that their chiefs, Jim Jessop and Myron Demkiw, were in the building during the World Series. The men were photographed together during MLB’s championship, and some of those snaps were posted to social media.

The Sun has filed appeals on both the TFS response and the TPS non-response with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

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It’s unclear what prompted Johnson, the city manager, to release his all-staff memo.

“I know that many staff will be working throughout the World Cup,” the memo says, “and their work may involve attending sites where events are occurring.

“This includes operational support, media and communications activities, emergency management and other key deliverables. The above guidance does not impact or curtail any of those activities.”

Johnson emphasized that city bureaucrats can keep World Cup merch they get from city hall giveaways, or FIFA-branded items or uniforms provided for their work duties.

He also said while staff are expected to obey the public service bylaw, that shouldn’t “take away from the excitement” of the World Cup.

“You are welcome to participate, attend events and celebrate games during your personal time and with your own resources,” Johnson wrote.

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