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Release of the 2009-2010 Annual Report

The Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario today filed its 2009-2010 Annual Report with the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature.

The report includes the Office’s first update on its newest mandate, the review of expense claims of senior officials and staff in 22 of the province’s largest agencies under the Public Sector Expenses Review Act, 2009.

“This has been a challenging and exciting year,” said Integrity Commissioner Lynn Morrison. “I would like to thank the agencies for their cooperation as we developed the new expense review system. This has helped the review process proceed well ahead of its statutory deadline.”

The Office also had significant accomplishments in its other mandates.

“I am proud to say that we have made many improvements to our operations, from increasing the transparency of the Lobbyists Registry to introducing a streamlined electronic filing system for MPP private disclosure statements,” Commissioner Morrison said.

Among the Annual Report highlights:
• the Office received 343 inquiries from MPPs regarding members’ integrity;
• it received 101 inquiries from ministers’ staff regarding ethical conduct, political activity and post-employment obligations;
• the Lobbyists Registry had 1,931 active registrations as of March 31, 2010; and
• there were 15 files reviewed related to the disclosure of wrongdoing in the public service, three of which were referred for investigation to the appropriate deputy minister or public body chair.

About the OIC

The Office of the Integrity Commissioner has five key responsibilities:

• Members’ Integrity
• Public service disclosure of wrongdoing (whistleblowing)
• Expenses review for Cabinet Ministers, Opposition Leaders, and 22 of Ontario’s largest agencies
• Ministers’ staff ethical conduct
• Lobbyists registration

An Officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Integrity Commissioner is independent of government.

The Annual Report and more information on the OIC and its work can be found at www.oico.on.ca.

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Contact:
Cathryn Motherwell
Communications Coordinator
416-314-7811
cathryn.motherwell@oico.on.ca