The Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario today filed its 2012-2013 annual report with the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature.
The report summarizes activity in all of the Office’s mandates, including samples of opinions provided to Members of Provincial Parliament and updates on the expenses review and disclosure of wrongdoing processes. The Office handled a record 100 post-employment meetings with Ministers’ staff as they left government.
Integrity Commissioner Lynn Morrison continues to call for a review of the province’s lobbyists registration legislation. She has issued recommendations about compliance tools, investigative powers for the Lobbyists Registrar, and changes to the scope and nature of information required on the registry.
The Office has also submitted recommendations to the government as part of the five-year review of the disclosure of wrongdoing provisions in the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006.
Among the annual report highlights:
• the Office received 355 inquiries from MPPs regarding members’ integrity issues;
• it handled 142 inquiries from Ministers’ staff regarding ethical conduct, political activity and post-employment obligations;
• it handled more than 30 inquiries from public servants regarding the disclosure of wrongdoing process;
• staff reviewed more than 3,900 expense claims; and
• the Lobbyists Registry had 1,735 active registrations as of March 31, 2013.
About the OIC
The Office of the Integrity Commissioner has five key responsibilities: members’ integrity, disclosure of wrongdoing (whistle-blowing), expenses review for Cabinet Ministers, opposition leaders, and 21 of Ontario’s largest agencies, ministers’ staff ethical conduct, and lobbyists registration.
An Officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Integrity Commissioner is independent of government.
The annual report and more information on the Office and its work can be found at www.oico.on.ca.
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Contact:
Cathryn Motherwell, Director
416-314-7811
cathryn.motherwell@oico.on.ca