City Council Approves Integrity Commissioner

On June 11th, Hamilton City Council unanimously approved the hiring of an Integrity Commissioner. This new position will enforce Council’s Code of Conduct and provide members of Council and the general public with a method of filing legitimate complaints. The Integrity Commissioner will have the power to impose corrective measures and will also take on a proactive role in educating members of Council to help them avoid problems before they occur.

During the 2008 budget process, City Council set aside $50,000 in funding for the new Integrity Commissioner. Although the total annual operating cost of this position is still unknown, Council has taken steps to minimize costs by creating the position on an ‘as needed’ basis.

The idea of an Integrity Commissioners is not a new one. The province of Ontario appointed Canada’s first Integrity Commissioner in 1988. Since then all provincial and territorial governments, and the federal government have created similar positions. Even Nunavut with a population of 30,780 and Newfoundland with a population of 515,591 have similar positions.

Although the creation of an Integrity Commissioner was a key element in my election campaign, I want to thank my Council colleagues for their support in making this initiative possible. Over the past 18 months, members of Council together with the Accountability and Transparency Sub-Committee have worked hard to develop and approve a bylaw that is fair and equitable – one that will help restore public confidence.

I want to thank and acknowledge members of the Accountability and Transparency Sub-Committee including: Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark; Ward 8 Councillor Terry Whitehead; Ward 1 Councillor Brian McHattie; Ward 7 Councillor Scott Duvall as well as volunteer members David Broom, Joanna Chapman, Theodore Charuk and Denise O’Connor.

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