Sunday, July 11, 2010

Ombudsman not necessarily wrong to retain outside help

I grant that the story below sounds bad but let's flip the perspective a little.

You are dealing with difficult and complex legal and policy issues. You are friendly with a leading legal academic. Is it unreasonable to retain the academic? 

Marin gave contracts to friend starting in 2001

David Bruser      
Staff Reporter     

During his 12 years as watchdog over the Canadian military and Ontario government, Andre Marin has paid close to a quarter of a million dollars to a friend and mentor to help him do his job as ombudsman.

Contracts and invoices show Marin outsourced important office functions to Ottawa law professor David Paciocco, who advised on investigations and wrote portions of several of Marin's reports.

Federal documents, obtained by the Toronto Star, show at least $84,000 paid to Paciocco while Marin was military ombudsman between 2001 and 2005. They also shed light on the office tasks Marin outsourced to his friend.

Last month the Star reported that as Ontario ombudsman, since 2005, Marin has given two contracts worth at least $141,000 to Paciocco to spice up Marin's reports exposing government problems.

http://bit.ly/9Sk2H1

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