Our Role
The Office of the Integrity Commissioner – Ontario Public Service (OIC) has authority under the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006 (the “Act”) to receive and deal with allegations of wrongdoing from Ontario public servants working in ministries and public bodies. The same applies to former public servants. The OIC is an office of last resort in the disclosure of wrongdoing process and is independent of government. We carry out our functions in a manner that is fair, informal and prompt. Under the disclosure of wrongdoing framework, public servants and former public servants have two options for making a disclosure – internally to your ethics executive or externally to the OIC. For further information, please call us at 416-314-1581 or toll free at 1-866-884-4470 or email us at info@oico.on.ca. Read about the Integrity Commissioner’s recommendations for review of the Disclosure of Wrongdoing law. The news release can be found here, and the detailed recommendations can be found here.What we do
- INFORM PUBLIC SERVANTS about the disclosure of wrongdoing framework;
- REVIEW ALLEGATIONS before making the referral to confirm that, if proven, the conduct alleged fits the definition of wrongdoing in the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006;
- STEP INTO THE SHOES of disclosers by referring allegations of wrongdoing to an appropriate senior official within government and directing an investigation be commenced;
- PROVIDE GUIDANCE and set standards for effective investigations by senior officials;
- SCRUTINIZE GOVERNMENT RESPONSES to allegations, including reviewing in detail the report after referral and other materials, requesting additional information, making recommendations and following up to ensure that the required corrective actions are undertaken and/or achieved; and
- ULTIMATELY the Commissioner can lead a new investigation if not satisfied with the response to a referral
How to make a disclosure of wrongdoing
Public servants and former public servants can make a disclosure of wrongdoing in one of two ways:
(1)
Internally to your ethics executive if you are a public
servant
If you work in
a ministry your ethics executive is the Deputy Minister and if you work in a
public body your ethics executive is the Chair or Chief Executive Officer
(2)
Externally to the Integrity Commissioner if you are a
public servant or former public servant if,
·
you have reason to believe that it would not be
appropriate to disclose the wrongdoing internally to your ethics executive; or
·
you have already disclosed the wrongdoing but
have concerns that the matter is not being dealt with appropriately; or
·
you work or used to work in a Minister’s office
Jurisdiction of the Commissioner
There are specific criteria under which the Integrity Commissioner can deal with a disclosure of wrongdoing. Wrongdoing is defined under section 108 (1) of the Act.In fact the Integrity Commissioner,
- cannot deal with a disclosure if any of the circumstances in section 117 of the Act apply; and
- can only deal with matters authorized under the Act and has no discretion in this regard
Our Activities
|
Actions |
2008-09 |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
|
Referrals to appropriate deputy
minister/public chair for investigation |
7 |
3 |
8 |
2 |
|
Integrity
Commissioner’s Investigation |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Fact Sheets
We have developed fact sheets to provide you with important information. Please click on any of the following links:
You Have Made a Disclosure of Wrongdoing - What do you need to know.
The Disclosure of Wrongdoing Process.