Principles Integrity

A complaint was filed alleging that a municipal councillor had a conflict of interest regarding his involvement with a local brew pub.

The Integrity Commissioner investigated allegations that the councillor participated in a lease agreement decision before acquiring shares, benefited from municipal promotional materials, and moved a motion regarding a bridge replacement that could increase traffic to the business.

The Commissioner found no conflict of interest, noting the shares were acquired 16 months after the lease decision, the promotional materials were not Council decisions, and the bridge motion did not create a pecuniary interest for the business.

A complaint was filed against a municipal councillor alleging violations of the Code of Conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act regarding a proposed development.

The complainant alleged the councillor had a conflict of interest because an employee of the councillor's company owned abutting property, held improper private meetings, made biased public statements, and pressured staff to issue a stop work order.

The Integrity Commissioner investigated and found no violations.

The employment relationship did not create a conflict of interest, the meetings were appropriate constituent engagement, the public comments were intemperate but not biased, and the request for a stop work order did not constitute improper pressure on staff.

A complaint was filed alleging that a municipal councillor breached the Council Code of Conduct by organizing a community festival, managing its funds, soliciting sponsorships from developers with pending planning applications, and failing to report the donors.

The Integrity Commissioner found that the councillor contravened the Code by indirectly managing the funds and failing to report the event as a member-organized community event.

However, the solicitation of funds from developers did not technically breach the Code because the planning applications were City-initiated.

The Commissioner recommended no sanctions, viewing the report as an educational opportunity.

The Peel Regional Police Services Board filed a complaint against Regional Councillor Carolyn Parrish regarding text messages she sent to the Board Chair.

The messages criticized the promotion of a Black female officer to Deputy Chief, suggesting the promotion was based on race and gender rather than merit.

The Integrity Commissioner found that the statements constituted discrimination under the Human Rights Code and breached the Peel Code of Conduct by disparaging the officer and impugning the Board's promotion practices.

The Commissioner recommended a 5-day suspension of pay and sensitivity training.

The Integrity Commissioner investigated a complaint that the Mayor of Collingwood contravened the municipal Code of Conduct by participating in a council decision regarding the divestiture of the Collingwood Regional Airport.

The Mayor's brother was an executive at an adjacent aviation business park that had a significant interest in the airport's future.

The Commissioner found that the Mayor had an apparent conflict of interest and contravened the Code of Conduct by failing to declare the interest and recuse herself.

However, the Commissioner recommended no sanctions, advising only that the Mayor refrain from future participation in airport divestiture matters.