ALL THINGS PUBLIC SECTOR

Investigations into appointments made by the Conservative government to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) were highlighted by Ottawa Correspondent Stephen Maher in March 2011. Concerning one such appointment, he writes: “On Feb. 7, Kevin MacAdam won a $110,600-to-$133,400 job as director general of regional operations with ACOA in Prince Edward Island. MacAdam came to Ottawa to work for (Peter) MacKay after serving as a minister in Pat Binns’s Conservative cabinet. Before he takes up the ACOA post, MacAdam will study French full time in Ottawa for up to two years, at full pay, until his French is good enough.” Apparently, what the Herald News calls “job-rigging” had taken place in this and other appointments to ACOA. Latest from the Herald News is that the Public Service Commission finds officials tailored hiring criteria for MacKay aides.

“We are working to bring people together and find common ground – because that’s what we do in Ontario. When we find fair, creative solutions to the challenges we face, we all succeed together.”(Premier Kathleen Wynne) What happened to such an admirable vision? The Toronto Sun chronicles the firing on Thursday evening of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Chairman Paul Godfrey. It reports news that he was about to be dumped was leaked to the media earlier in the week. “That’s really classy. Nothing like a public hanging to keep the rest of the troops in line,” says the Toronto Sun article. “The way it was done is disgraceful.” Following Godfrey’s firing the Globe and Mail reports the entire board of directors resigned and …leaves a multibillion-dollar Crown agency in disarray. Godfrey, a respected leader in the business community who donated his Lottery and Gaming Agency $146,200 salary to charity says if only the Premier had talked to him “…he would have participated in a seamless transition.” There is a golden rule that still has value. Do unto others…