By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
Accountability is vital for trust, transparency, and responsibility, but there is a balance that must be struck. When accountability goes too far it can create a culture of fear, where people are more worried about being blamed than about doing good work.
Tuesday, my day started out of the riding with a municipal official, discussing their being ostracized for not voting with the block on council that has ties to a particular political party. This councillor rightfully believes their job around the table is to support and advocate for their residents.
Wednesday, a mayor in another jurisdiction called to tell me they have been bled financially for several months due to integrity commissioner (IC) investigations. This mayor is terrified to say or do anything for fear of another investigation.
Apparently, Haldimand County is not unique. Search online and several headlines pop up concerning integrity commissioners or the IC process.
By way of background, The Municipal Act, 2001 requires municipalities to appoint an IC. The Act does not establish a fee structure or maximum fee an IC may charge or govern their contract in any other way.
Most municipalities use a fee-for-service model meaning fees paid for services can range widely depending on the number of complaints an IC receives throughout the year. In Haldimand County’s case, $20,875 was spent in 2024-25 for three investigations. A single complaint in Kirkland Lake cost $25,000. Down the road in the City of Niagara Falls, about $100,000 in IC fees were incurred in 2020-21. In the City of Ottawa, a single complaint cost $30,000.
Complaints triggering IC investigations range — differences of opinion, complaints about harassment when councillors ask staff questions about where money has been allocated (that was another call this week from yet another councillor elsewhere in the province). Some investigations, like ones we see locally, are vindictive in nature where a citizen decides they will make the life of an elected official miserable.
Former City of Elliot Lake Mayor Dan Marchisella in 2020: “This [integrity commissioner process] has become a very, very expensive weapon to consistently attack each other, and it’s not just members of council, it’s also their followers. It’s ironic because the integrity commissioner is being used to attack each other’s integrity, and it’s not called for.”
The IC for both Haldimand and Norfolk Counties, David Boghosian, attempted to drag me into an investigation on the alleged leaked documents concerning the public health board merger. After his office contacted mine, my staff indicated to the IC I had no involvement with the alleged leaked documents, and I was under no obligation to speak to him. Mr. Boghosian would not accept that. He insisted that I be served with a subpoena, so I provided him times I was available. After I was served, I retained a lawyer to explain to Mr. Boghosian that I could invoke Parliamentary Privilege. Despite what one of my detractors has said online, invoking Parliamentary Privilege is commonplace.
The role of an IC should be to present the facts, not opinion, or commentary on third parties to the investigation. Here is an example from Mr. Boghosian’s report: I find it frustrating and disappointing that MPP Brady would elect to invoke a discretionary privilege to avoid having to tell residents of her Haldimand-Norfolk riding what she knows about the leak of the documents that formed the Post.
A factual statement would have read: MPP Brady invoked Parliamentary Privilege and advised that she had no knowledge of the alleged leaked document. A quick search of the Internet proves that commentary and opinion is not uncommon in IC reports.
I was not impressed with any of the imputed motives contained within Mr. Boghosian’s final report. I will not allow an IC to destroy my integrity or that of good people trying to do the right thing for the taxpayer. While the drama keeps everyone busy, things like homelessness, addictions, and the daily business of municipalities fall by the wayside.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk