Integrity Commissioner presents 2016-2017 annual report
City of Vaughan continues to be a
leader in accountability and transparency
During a meeting of the City of Vaughan’s Committee of the Whole, Ms.
Suzanne Craig, Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar, presented the
2016-2017 Integrity Commissioner Annual Report. The annual report details the Integrity
Commissioner’s activities, Code of Conduct complaints and inquiries, along with
a statement of expenditures. In 2017, the Integrity Commissioner received four
formal complaints and 12 informal complaints.
The City instituted the Office of the Integrity Commissioner in 2008 and
was one of the first municipalities in Ontario to voluntarily appoint an
integrity commissioner to oversee Code of Conduct matters for Council. The integrity
commissioner is responsible for providing policy advice, complaint resolution
and education to Council and administration on issues of ethics and integrity. This
is done to maintain high ethical standards.
In January 2018, the City also voluntarily implemented a mandatory Lobbyist
Registry. The Lobbyist Registry ensures that people who are paid to influence
government are open, honest and transparent about their work. In addition to
her responsibilities as integrity commissioner, Ms. Craig was appointed by
Council as the City’s first Lobbyist Registrar of the Lobbyist Registry. As the annual report notes, in the six months since the Lobbyist
Registry has been implemented, there have been significant inquiries from both
private and public-sector stakeholders, seeking information about understanding
and ensuring compliance.
The
Integrity Commissioner further highlights her ongoing work in collaboration
with Vaughan’s Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. Together, they develop
and implement training opportunities to educate the administration and Members
of Council about the Corporation’s human resource policies, with an emphasis on
addressing workplace harassment, recruitment and the roles and responsibilities
of staff and Council.
QUOTE
“I welcome the opportunity to bring forward the
2016-2017 Annual Report to Council, administration and to the people of the
City of Vaughan. As the report clearly states, Vaughan continues to go above
and beyond its statutory accountability requirements in its efforts to deliver
a quality of government service for its municipal residents and businesses that
has served as a model for other municipalities in Ontario and beyond.”
- Suzanne Craig, Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist
Registrar
LEARN MORE
- Office of the Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar webpage.
- 2016-2017 Integrity Commissioner Annual Report (PDF).
- Watch a video Message from Suzanne Craig, Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar.
- City of Vaughan website.
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