Andy Pringle

Andrew Pringle (born 1949/1950)[1] is a retired bond trader and political activist linked with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and the Conservative Party of Canada.

He was first appointed a member of the Toronto Police Services Board in 2011, was elected vice-chair of the board in January 2015, and, since the July 31, 2015 retirement of Alok Mukherjee, held the office of chair of the TPSB,[2] until his retirement on September 30, 2019. He was reappointed to the board by Toronto City Council in 2015 by a vote of 28 to 11 with Councillor Michael Thompson leading the opposition to Pringle's reappointment saying: "He consistently rubber-stamped police actions, proposals and initiatives that were not in the best interest of the community... I would dare say that Mr. Pringle's silence on all the major issues that the board has faced has in fact been deafening."[3]

Pringle was the chief of staff for John Tory when he was Leader of the Opposition as leader of the Progressive Conservatives in the Ontario legislature.[4] He is also a longtime fundraiser for the party[5] and former chair of its fundraising arm, the PC Ontario Fund.[4] Pringle is the former managing director at RBC Capital Markets,[5] former chairman of RP Investment Advisors and former chair of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), of the board of governors of Upper Canada College and of the Shaw Festival.[4]

In 2013, when Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford was under intense police scrutiny, his brother, then Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford called for Pringle's resignation alleging that he was in a conflict of interest as he went on a fishing trip with Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.[4][5]

Pringle was the Progressive Conservative candidate in Etobicoke Centre during the 2007 provincial election,[5] placing second with 34.13% of the vote.

In 2016, Pringle was reported to be a fundraiser for the federal Conservative Party of Canada leadership campaign of Kellie Leitch.[6]

His wife is broadcaster Valerie Pringle.[4]

References

1. "Councillors urged to reject Andy Pringle on police board". Toronto Star. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
2. "Pringle poised to succeed Mukherjee on police board: James". Toronto Star. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
3. "Council reappoints Andy Pringle to police board". Toronto Star. July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
4. "Who is Andrew Pringle?". Toronto Star. November 5, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
5. "Doug Ford's broadside at police board member seen as calculated strike on a Tory ally". Globe and Mail. November 5, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
6. Proudfoot, Shannon. "Behind Kellie Leitch's 'sort-of' campaign for Conservative leader". Maclean's. Maclean's. Retrieved 11 April 2016.