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
 
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