Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner has found that comments made by a city councillor during a dispute with a constituent last year violated council’s code of conduct.The city watchdog investigated two complaints that stem from a town hall meeting that took place in Toronto Centre on January 16, 2025.According to the commissioner’s report, which was released this week, one of the complainants, known as Daniel Tate of the controversial advocacy group Integrity TO, had opposed the City’s decision to rename Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square and approached Ward 13 Coun. Chris Moise as he was leaving the meeting to confront him about his role in the renaming.The tense exchange was recorded by Tate and later shared with the media.Toronto Councillor Chris Moise was behind the renaming of Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa.When asked by constituent Daniel Tate what he plans to rename next, Moise calls Tate a white supremacist and refuses to answer questions.Details here – https://t.co/uCxSlvKUXl pic.twitter.com/RJy9ETkVll— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) January 22, 2025“So what are you doing this year, in [20]25, relating to renaming things that hurt your feelings for whatever reason?” he asked the councillor. “What else is on your list?”Moise responded saying, “Mr. Tate, I know that you and I have different opinions on many things. I know that you have different views than I do. I know you have a white supremacy view.”“I don’t support your views,” Moise added.Tate proceeded to demand an apology from the councillor, saying, “Did you just call me a white supremacist, Councillor Moise? That’s an appalling thing to say to a constituent.”The dispute then escalated with multiple individuals speaking over each other.“You have harassed me for months,” Moise quipped. “I will never apologize.”In a statement to CityNews, Moise claimed that he was cornered by a handful of people, in addition to Tate, who appeared to be his “associates or volunteers.”One of the individuals is heard on the video saying Moise is “pulling the race card.”A few days after that interaction, Tate filed a complaint with the City’s Integrity Commissioner, a neutral, independent officer who oversees the conduct of elected and most appointed officials at the City of Toronto.The matter was investigated and on Wednesday the commissioner released his report, finding that the councillor’s comments were directed to a specific person and could cause reputational harm.“As a result, the Commissioner found that the Councillor had engaged with a member of the public in a derogatory manner while acting in his official role, violating Article 14 of the Code of Conduct,” the report says.Despite the finding, no penalty was recommended “due to context.”“The brief interaction occurred when the Complainant pursued the Councillor with critical questions while the Councillor was trying to leave a meeting and only became public when the Complainant shared his video with the media,” the commissioner wrote.In its report, the City watchdog also recognized Moise’s lived experience as a racialized person and said he faced “persistent criticism” of equity, diversity and inclusion policies.“This was the first instance of the Integrity Commissioner finding the Councillor acted in a derogatory manner towards someone,” the report noted. “While disagreement is inevitable in a vibrant democracy, the manner in which individuals engage with one another matters. Members of Council hold positions of public trust and, with that, bear the responsibility to model high standards of respectful conduct.”IntegrityTO called the commissioner’s choice to not issue a penalty “disappointing.”“This kind of derogatory rhetoric fuels toxic, divisive discourse and erodes trust in public officials,” Tate said in a statement on Friday. “When citizens fear reputational harm for speaking out, democracy itself is weakened.”IntegrityTO is now asking council members to “impose a significant penalty” on Moise when they meet next week to discuss the report.“City Council must take this matter seriously,” the group said.Meanwhile, Moise doesn’t appear to be backing down.“We encourage our children and others that if they see something, say something,” Moise told CityNews. “I will continue to say something when I see something. As an elected representative, it is incumbent on me to lead by example and stand up to racism, bigotry, and marginalization.”“I respectfully disagree with the Integrity Commissioner,” Moise added. “I have no regrets, and I will always stand up to white nationalism and white nationalist politics.”