David Boghosian, of Boghosian + Allen LLP will serve as Bonfield’s new Integrity Commissioner (IC). The term is for five years. He comes with much expertise in municipal law, and serves as IC for Toronto, Hamilton, Kirkland Lake, and Greater Sudbury.
“The contract with the current Integrity Commissioner expired January 30th,” explained Nicky Kunkel, Bonfield’s Chief Administrative Officer. “An RFP (request for proposals) was issued, with no submission to appoint by end of contract.”
David C. King previously held the position.
The township issued another RFP for an IC, which closed on March 22nd. Kunkel noted that two applications came in, with Boghosian being staff and council’s top choice.
Since March 1st, 2019, municipalities and townships have been required by the province to appoint an IC. The role of the IC is to ensure the township’s Code of Conduct is followed. For instance, that code outlines the conduct at meetings, how staff and councillors interact, protection of confidential information, use of municipal property, and other items.
An IC will also investigate alleged breaches of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and ensure policies governing ethical behaviour are upheld. If a complaint comes in, the IC will investigate, and deliver a report to council, which then decides how to proceed given the information within the IC’s report.
Put simply, “an IC is a municipal accountability officer who is responsible for applying the rules,” noted the Ontario Ombudsman’s office, in its “Best Practices Guide” for municipal IC’s. However, IC’s can also offer advice and services surrounding creating Codes of Conduct, or providing consultation to council on governance procedures, as outlined by the Municipal Act.
Boghosian will be paid by the case at $290 per hour. The new IC is a contractor independent of the municipality. The more investigations conducted the more taxpayers will pay. Each municipality pays for its own investigations.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
