Citizens expect integrity in the decisions and day-to-day operations of their public institutions and elected officials at all levels — including municipal governments and municipal officials. Identifying, addressing and managing conflicts of interest are key to good governance and maintaining the public’s trust and confidence in their public institutions. The province has strengthened municipal legislation to help municipalities ensure proper policies, procedures and practices are in place.
All members of Council, certain local boards and committees have an obligation to act honestly and responsibly when making decisions or giving advice in their capacities. This obligation includes the disclosure of any pecuniary interest (conflict of interest).
A conflict of interest occurs when a person in public life is in a position where a private interest may, or may not appear to conflict with their role as a municipal council member. Conflict of interest provisions recognize that the judgement of even the most well-meaning person may be impaired when their own interests or the interests of someone close to them are affected. Conflict of interest provisions exist because council members must make decisions in the best interest of the municipality first and foremost. A full explanation of direct and indirect pecuniary interests can be found in the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
The responsibility is on the member to determine whether they are affected by the pecuniary interest provisions. All members must submit their disclosures of pecuniary interest in writing to the City Clerk at the meeting where the information is being presented and discussed; they do so by verbally disclosure during the proceedings of a meeting and by submitting their Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest Form.
The Council's compliance with the Act is overseen by the City's appointed independent Integrity Commissioner, Guy Giorno, who is responsible to:
- provide information and direction to Committee and Council members on the Act
- coordinate education and procedural training on the policies, Council's Code of Conduct and Act to Council, staff, and members of the community
- conduct investigations and provide reports on alleged breaches of the Act
- provide annual reports to Council on any requests of the Integrity Commissioner
View the Conflicts of Interest Registry
Contact Information
Any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a Member has breached a provision of the Code or Act, may file a complaint with Guy Giorno, the City’s Integrity Commissioner directly as follows:
Email: integritycommissioner@fasken.com
Address: 333 Bay Street, Suite 2400, P.O. Box 20, Toronto Ontario M5H 2T6
Phone: 416-865-5164
Toll Free: 877-609-5685
Fax: 416-364-7813
Application for Inquiry (Complaint Form)
You may file your complaint under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by completing the Application for Inquiry Form and Declaration Form. Please note that you will be required to see a Commissioner to swear/affirm your Declaration which is part of the Integrity Commissioner's intake process. If you are unable to print the form, copies are available to be picked up in the Clerk’s Office located on the 5th Floor at City Hall. The Complaint Form and Declaration must be sent to the Integrity Commissioner.
The Integrity Commissioner will use the contact information you have provided to communicate with you about your request for inquiry.
If the Integrity Commissioner conducts an investigation, you and other persons may be asked for more information. At the end of an investigation, the Integrity Commissioner will report to Council about whether the Member(s) contravened the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
The Integrity Commissioner may disclose in the report such matters as in his opinion are necessary for the purposes of the report. Reports to Council become public documents.
Investigative Reports
Reports prepared by the Integrity Commissioner surrounding the Code of Conduct will be listed below.
Related Information
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