Heard Around Town: Peace Bridge board members continue international travel on authority dime

Animosity between the American and Canadian leadership of the Peace Bridge Authority has raged for years, and while the settlement of a recent legal battle marks an end to the latest round of fighting, the blood is still boiling with board Vice Chairman Sam Hoyt arguing that a planned junket to Ireland—the latest in a string of international excursions—is a waste of authority money.

“It’s my opinion that it’s unnecessary for multiple members of the board to go on these trips,” said Hoyt, a former New York state assemblyman. “That’s why I and the U.S. members of the board are advocating for a change in policy."

Earlier this summer, Hoyt submitted a resolution calling for all authority members and employees to adhere to New York's travel and conference policies, which require travel in coach accommodations, prohibit the accompaniment of spouses at authority expense, and only allow for “reasonable meal expenses.”

In addition, Hoyt called for board members to submit reports explaining the rationale behind all trips outside Western New York or southern Ontario.

But while the resolution received the full support of the American contingent, not a single Canadian board member voted in favor, and it fell flat. Hoyt has said he plans to raise the issue again.

“This is money that belongs to people who pay the tolls at the bridge,” he said. “It shouldn’t be spent on expensive trips to Europe and other places in the United States and Canada.”