The Honourable J. David Wake, Integrity Commissioner, has filed his 2021-2022 annual report with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The report is available here.

The report highlights the work completed under the Office’s seven mandates, including the Commissioner’s role under the Members’ Integrity Act, 1994. Under the MPP Integrity mandate, the Commissioner responded to 277 requests for advice from MPPs about their obligations under the Act. He also issued seven public reports, each of which determined whether the MPPs subject to the reports had breached the Act or Ontario parliamentary convention.

A key aspect of the Office’s work for year was to prepare for the 2022 provincial election. This included preparing new and revising existing resources for MPPs, lobbyists and public servants, and issuing communications to these groups about their obligations under Ontario legislation, with an emphasis on restrictions or considerations related to political activity. The Office noted an increase in questions about political activity rules across the majority of its mandates.

Summaries of disclosure of wrongdoing cases under the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006 and completed investigations under the Lobbyists Registration Act, 1998 are also published in the report.

Among the annual report highlights:

• the Office handled 150 inquiries from ministers’ staff regarding ethical conduct, political activity and post-employment obligations;
• it responded to 165 matters under the public sector ethics mandate;
• 18 disclosures of wrongdoing were filed by public servants, and four matters were investigated and concluded by the Commissioner;
• 65 Advisory Opinions were provided to lobbyists, and six investigations into lobbying non-compliance were concluded; and,
• staff reviewed 2,363 travel, meal and hospitality expense claims.

About the OIC

The Office has seven mandates under five pieces of legislation:

• Members’ Integrity, providing confidential conflict of interest advice to MPPs and conducting inquiries into alleged breaches;
• Ministers’ Staff Ethical Conduct, providing conflict of interest advice and direction to public servants in ministers’ offices;
• Lobbyist Registration, operating Ontario’s lobbyist registry and conducting investigations into potential non-compliance;
• Disclosure of Wrongdoing, receiving whistleblowing disclosures from current and former members of the Ontario Public Service;
• Public Sector Ethics, providing conflict of interest advice and direction to Ethics Executives in ministries and public bodies; and,
• Expenses Review:
  • Reviewing the travel, meal and hospitality expenses of Cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, Opposition leaders, and their staff; and,
  • Reviewing the travel, meal and hospitality expenses of selected agencies.

Contact: Michelle Renaud, Manager, Communications and Outreach | michelle.renaud@oico.on.ca |