Timing of contract talks with Hamilton integrity commissioner raises eyebrows

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Published September 1, 2022 at 2:45 pm

The outgoing city council in Hamilton is being asked to consider a new contract for the integrity commissioner that would cover the entire next term — and some of the next one.

Councillors are being consider directing City of Hamilton staff to begin negotiating with Principles Integrity on a new contract that would last through May 2027, which is two elections away. The matter will be discussed at a governance review subcommittee meeting next Friday (Sept. 9), which is 45 days out from election day on Oct. 24. It also comes while councillors who are seeking re-election have begun campaigning.

Principles Integrity is a third-party contractor, that also serves as the city lobbyist registrar. It has about 40 municipal clients in Ontario. Since coming onboard in Hamilton in mid-2018, it has cost city taxpayers about $210,000. That pro-rates to a mid-five figure sum annually, according to the report prepared by city clerk Andrea Holland.

Ward 2 council candidate Cameron Kroetsch, though, wondered whether the decision should be deferred. Kroetsch recently paid a $15,000 cost award to the city last year after a failed a judicial review application of an “IC” ruling that recommended that he be reprimanded by city council, following a misconduct finding from his time as a volunteer chair of an LGBTQ+ advisory committee.

“This should be left up to the next Council,” Kroetsch, who paid the cost award to the city after a crowdfunding campaign raised the $15Gs within about a day and half, wrote on Twitter.

(Kroetsch is part of a five-candidate race in Ward 2 with Shahan Aaron, Coun. Jason Farr, Robin McKee and Raquel Rakovac. Farr is a 12-year councillor.)

The city clerk’s report does offer that as an alternative.

“Council could choose to allow the next Council to decide the process for selection,” the report states. “Additionally, staff could proceed with a new open competitive process for a new Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar for the new Council’s approval.”

Some convenience samples from around the inSauga coverage region show one other area did commit to an IC further out from the election campaign. Others have had headaches and extra cost to taxpayers.

Principles Integrity, which is operated by Jeffrey Abrams and Janice Atwood-Petkovski, recently added Durham Region as a client. That was decided in mid-June.

Brampton, which used a different contractor for IC work, was billed at more than double the rate of Hamilton before firing its integrity commissioner, this spring, which has led to major litigation.

The elected leadership in Brampton sacked Muneeza Sheikh after a reveal that she billed the city over $500,000 in fewer than three years. In response, Sheikh has reportedly filed a $20-million lawsuit against councillors and the municipality.

Hamilton city council will have 43.8 per cent turnover at minimum after the election, with seven of 16 elected representatives moving on to other endeavours. Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Couns. Sam Merulla (4), Russ Powers (5), Brenda Johnson (11), Lloyd Ferguson (12), Terry Whitehead (14) and Judi Partridge (15) have opted not run in October.

Correction: an earlier version of this article referred to a $15,000 fine, rather than a cost award to the City of Hamilton. We regret the error.

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