I have the following Models:

class Site extends AppModel {
    public $name = "Site";
    public $useTable = "site";
    public $primaryKey = "id";
    public $displayField = 'name';

    public $hasMany = array('Item' => array('foreignKey' => 'siteId'));

    public function canView($userId, $isAdmin = false) {
        if($isAdmin) { return true; }
        return array_key_exists($this->id, $allowedSites);
    }
}

and

class Item extends AppModel {
    public $name = "Item";
    public $useTable = "item";
    public $primaryKey = "id";
    public $displayField = 'name';
    public $belongsTo = array('Site' => array('foreignKey' => 'siteId'));

     public function canView($userId, $isAdmin = false) {
        // My problem appears to be the next line:
        return $this->Site->canView($userId, $isAdmin);
    }

 }

In my controller I am doing something like this:

$result = $this->Item->read(null, $this->request->id);

// Verify permissions
if(!$this->Item->canView($this->Session->read('userId'), $this->Session->read('isAdmin'))) {
    $this->httpCodes(403);
    die('Permission denied.');
}

I notice that in Item->canView() $this->data['Site'] is populated with the column data from the site table. But it merely an array and not an object.

On the other hand $this->Site is a Site object, but it has not been populated with the column data from the site table like $this->data.

What is the proper way to have CakePHP get the associated model as the object and containing the data? Or am I going about this all wrong?

Thanks!