York Region's councillors need to be accountable Dave Gordon - Friday, 30 April, 2010 (4481 views, Comment on this article)

 Want an accountable councillor? Want to make sure his or her activities are transparent?
Then be prepared to free up some time to deal with endless paperwork and start writing cheques. Too much is expected of a resident who wants to file a complaint against or get information about the spending habits of his local councillors.
That’s a vital problem that needs fixing.
True, some issues have spurred change. Several financial scandals in the GTA have forced councillors to make details about their expenses more accessible. To counteract  ethics and financial scandals, councils in several municipalities, including Aurora, Vaughan and Richmond Hill, have formulated codes of conduct.
Still, there is little oversight from the province with regard to councillors’ activities. This mostly hands-off approach must not continue.
Reports in the past year have detailed councillor corruption charges, conflicts of interest, improper expense claims and a number of councillors under investigation. And that’s just what has been reported.
What’s a resident to do if he has a complaint against a councillor? Unfortunately, the onus is on the resident to bring it forward, file the paperwork, pay out of pocket for the court fees and expend his own resources.
Investigations should not be left to novices. That’s not justice and it’s not checks and balances.
Maybe the province, with our tax dollars, can assign an ombudsman to independently research, determine the validity of each case and have the power to impose rulings under the act. While municipalities such as Aurora and Vaughan have integrity commissioners, their decisions are not binding — council has the ultimate power to ignore a recommendation.
One might be able to blithely say everything will be worked out at the ballot box this fall. And, sure, some activist citizens have been willing and financially able to investigate and lodge a complaint on their own. But the reality is few individuals have this option. Bottom line, the province should be ultimately responsible for ensuring the standards it sets through the Municipal Act are being met.
With six months to E-Day, if you think we need more provincial involvement in ensuring our councillors act in the most ethical, transparent and accountable manner possible, consider knocking on MPP Joe Bradley’s door. He’s in charge of the Municipal Affairs Ministry: jbradley.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org or 416-585-7000.