The majority of complaints received by London city council’s integrity commissioner over the last year and a half were deemed to be politically motivated, according to the commissioner’s annual report.
Since taking office on May 17, 2016, Gregory Stewart has received 14 complaints and launched two investigations.
Stewart’s report concluded that the other 12 complaints appeared to be politically motivated or did not fall under his jurisdiction.
Of the two that did, one dealt with the conduct of a council member during a committee meeting. Stewart launched an investigation and concluded the council member’s conduct did not violate the code of conduct.
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The other one was in connection to Mayor Matt Brown and then-deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy.
Stewart says the relationship between Brown and Cassidy broke the code of conduct, but he decided not to probe further into their activities, saying it would have been “an exercise in seeking out the salacious details of the situation.”
Both Brown and Cassidy were censured by council but received no further punishment. They both remain on council.
The integrity commissioner’s responsibilities include investigating complaints about the conduct of London’s municipal politicians, and offering advice for navigating the city’s code of conduct.
Stewart says over the last 16 months, he’s had 18 requests for advice from councillors, usually about conflicts of interest, and has had no requests for education about the city’s code of conduct.
There are currently no complaints under active investigation by the commissioner.
The report will be reviewed by the Corporate Services Committee next Tuesday.
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