A multi-day trip to Israel taken by two Toronto city councillors in November 2025 was largely paid for by the Israeli consulate in Toronto, with public disclosure records showing costs totalling just under $10,000.
The documents detail expenses for Councillors James Pasternak (York Centre) and Mike Colle (Eglinton–Lawrence), who said previously that the visit was sponsored by the Government of Israel. Toronto’s integrity commissioner, Paul Muldoon, determined the sponsored travel complied with the city’s code of conduct.
Muldoon’s office said councillors are allowed to accept travel-related benefits—including airfare, accommodations, meals and transportation—from foreign governments, provided the donor is not a registered lobbyist.
According to the records, Pasternak disclosed nearly $3,600 in expenses covered by Israel, including about $2,300 for accommodations and $1,300 for meals. He also reported using just over $2,600 in taxpayer funds from his office budget for the trip, an expense currently under review by the city clerk’s office. Pasternak has said he personally paid for part of the visit.
Colle disclosed more than $6,300 in costs covered by the Israeli consulate, including round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, meals and VIP airport services. He also reported sponsored ground travel valued at just under $850.
An invitation letter from the consulate described Pasternak and Colle as part of a “carefully chosen group of public leaders from across Canada.” While in Israel, the councillors were photographed with former politicians and media figures, including ex-Toronto MP Kevin Vuong, and broadcasters Ben Mulroney and Steve Paikin, during a briefing with Israel’s deputy foreign minister. Pasternak and Colle were the only currently elected officials on the trip.
The invitation said the visit came amid evolving public debate about Israel in Canada and included meetings with survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, as well as visits to innovation hubs and memorial sites. The itinerary listed stops at the World Holocaust Memorial Centre near Jerusalem, a Druze town in the Golan Heights, the Nova music festival memorial in southern Israel, and a border area near Gaza and Egypt.
Pasternak later described the visit as a “fact-finding” and “peace mission,” saying it aligned with Toronto’s efforts to strengthen trade relationships. Colle said the trip was intended to reassure constituents about safety and reaffirm ties with Israel, calling it “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Both councillors have been critical of how the federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has handled issues related to the war in Gaza. Colle has said he was “proud” to take part in the visit despite strained Canada–Israel relations.
While the invitation indicated the consulate would cover ground transportation within Israel, only Colle disclosed related costs. Pasternak’s filings did not include ground travel expenses. The integrity commissioner’s office said it could not determine whether additional disclosures were required without a formal request for advice or an official complaint.