Asking for an Integrity Commissioner

City Council’s vote to approve the Capitol condominium project last Tuesday evening was an important decision, both for the future direction of downtown development and for the future of our city. For this reason, it is very important that all Kingstonians have full confidence in the integrity of the vote itself and the process in which council came to its decision.

As Mayor, I take the integrity of council and the transparency of our decisions very seriously. In order to settle any remaining questions regarding Councillor Candon’s participation in the Capitol debate and the final vote on this project, I will be bringing forward a motion to our October 4 council meeting calling for the hiring of an Integrity Commissioner. This will be an independent and arms-length investigation, to review this matter in greater detail. I have spoken with Councillor Candon about this and he is in full support of this review and has also agreed to second the motion.

Although we, as a council, will have issues that divide us, we are united in our view that the trust of Kingstonians in the integrity of our decisions is critically important. My hope is the hiring of an Integrity Commissioner to review this matter will demonstrate the importance of maintaining this trust.

Thank you to all those who took the time to share your thoughts and opinions with me on this issue. I have heard people on all sides and I look forward to continuing to work together in building a smart and livable city.

Mayor Bryan Paterson