The winning candidate for Algoma-Manitoulin (A-M) provincial riding in next week's provincial election, our next MPP, may well be called upon to debate the province's controversial Integrity Commissioner system in a coming session of the provincial legislature.
With that in mind, ElliotLakeToday asked the candidates running for office on June 2 for their opinions about the Integrity Commission.
Cheryl Fort, PC
As the sitting mayor of the Township of Hornepayne, PC candidate Cheryl Fort has recent municipal experience dealing with the Integrity Commissioner's office.
From her perspective, Fort is concerned the way the system has performed during the 2018-2022 municipal council term might inhibit candidates from coming forward for this fall's municipal election.
We asked her if the Integrity Commissioner system in Ontario needs to be fixed, or scrapped?
“The Integrity Commissioner system has its place to ensure constituents are receiving fair, transparent and accountable government. All legislation needs time to evolve and be revised to work out any problem areas or areas that may have been used in a way that the legislation was not intended for," she said.
“Improvements come from areas of concern and those need to be investigated to ensure that we are making a better-updated set of procedures. One example that needs clarity is when is the use of the commissioner needed? For instance, in the case of council members investigating council members, this may fall under a municipality’s code of conduct.
“Staff to council concerns may fall under a Staff/Council Relations policy within the municipality. This may already may be laid out fully and municipalities may need to do the heavy lifting of ensuring all of the conduct policies work together in a sequential way to ensure we are not wasting tax dollars.
Overall, the PC candidate noted that balance needs to be part of the equation when rules are made that govern those who serve on municipal boards and councils.
“Serving on many boards, town council and as mayor is a tough position and there needs to be balance. We want to ensure that solid, fair, transparent people put their names on the ballot to serve and we need to encourage those people in our communities that have those qualifications," Fort added.
“For those people considering putting their name on the ballot, there are the encouragers, behind the scenes people, who give you encouragement, support and love when you are serving.
“Encouragers are to be treasured because to be fair and stand up as a public servant can be a lonely and difficult road to walk at times. It is difficult to be honest about your mistakes and to own your faults. Humility creates solid character,” Fort concluded.
Tim Vine, Ontario Liberal Party
Tim Vine, the Ontario Liberal Party candidate in next week's election said changes are needed, "We have seen in some very high profile cases in Algoma-Manitoulin that neither municipal councillors nor the people they represent are particularly well served by the current Integrity Commissioner system.
"There is a clear lack of accountability for Integrity Commissioners once they are appointed and this current system overemphasizes the power and independence of the office." Vine continued. "I believe we need more democratic oversight and accountability for Integrity Commissioners, especially given that the current legislation effectively writes a blank cheque.
"If municipalities are to be treated as the mature order of government that they are, municipal councils need greater control and oversight over their Integrity Commissioners.
"I think the concept of an Integrity Commissioner is a good one and they need some autonomy and independence to be effective but ultimately the people’s business should be conducted by representatives chosen directly by the people," he concluded.
Vine also said that municipal councils should have the right to nominate their own Integrity Commissioners.
He said we can look to the Canadian parliamentary model for the appointment of the federal integrity commissioner, the parliamentary budget officer or the auditor general as templates to establish a better Integrity Commission system for Ontario.
Mike Mantha, NDP
Incumbent New Democrat candidate Mike Mantha said complaints about the Integrity Commission have been a constant at his offices and on the road, "On numerous occasions when I have had the opportunity to meet with municipal officials, they have expressed concerns about the limitations and drawbacks of the current system.
"One of the most frequent of these is the costs associated with investigations. The longer or more in-depth the investigation, the more it costs," he continued.
"This is especially problematic for many northern smaller municipalities like many of those in Algoma-Manitoulin. They just don’t have the broad tax base that larger municipalities have to help cover the costs," Mantha concluded.
He said for some time, his office has received calls about Integrity Commission issues. Mantha advocates for a formal assessment of the current system at the provincial level to determine its strengths and point out areas needing improvement.
EDITOR'S NOTE: By the time of publication, neither Ron Koski, New Blue nor Maria Legault, Green, had responded to our request for comment
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