Liberals may file complaint against Ontario minister
By
MARIEKE WALSHiPolitics
Thu., Nov. 8, 2018
TORONTO — The Liberals say they’re considering filing a complaint with Ontario’s integrity commissioner against shuffled minister John Yakabuski.
Yakabuski was demoted from the transportation to the natural resources portfolio with no explanation on Monday.
On Wednesday, iPolitics reported that his sister leads a major stakeholder association that lobbies both the transportation and natural resources departments.
Marlene Yakabuski is the president of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) and a senior executive at Bot Construction Group.
Asked about that connection, the premier’s office was reticent Tuesday to give any details about what, if anything, was being done to avoid a conflict of interest — only saying the minister has not been involved in files connected to his sister and the relationship was reported to the integrity commissioner.
The ORBA is registered to lobby the transportation and natural resources departments and bills itself as “the voice of the majority of road-building contractors who build and maintain both provincial and municipal roads, bridges, public transit systems, and core civil infrastructure.”
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said the government was not upfront with the public about the connection and how it’s being managed, given the minister’s responsibilities.
“They’re not being forthcoming,” Fraser said about the government’s terse statement. “When there’s no clarity and people are asking questions, then it tends to erode trust.”
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