Patrick Brown violated integrity rules in failing to disclose rental income, loan: commissioner

Former Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown failed to disclose a loan and some rental income he received, contrary to the province’s rules, the integrity commissioner has found.

In a decision on Thursday, J. David Wake recommended Brown receive a reprimand.

He also found there was no evidence that Brown failed to disclose gifts of travel —  one of the allegations made by fellow Tory Randy Hillier in a complaint in late February.

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Hillier, the MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, also alleged that Brown was living beyond his means and received a loan from former Brampton North PC candidate Jass Johal in exchange for an uncontested nomination in 2016.

The commissioner said he couldn’t find any evidence that Brown did anything to influence the nomination process, but that Brown breached the province’s integrity act in failing to mention the $375,000 liability in his private disclosure statement to the commissioner in both 2016 and 2017.

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Wake said had he received such information, he would have included it in disclosure documents that are available to the public.

“When the leader of a political party is substantially indebted to a candidate for election as an MPP for that party, the interests of transparency require that the indebtedness be made known so that people have an appropriate context to assess the relationship between the leader and the candidate. Simply put, the public has a right to know,” he stated in the report.

The loan was used in the purchase of a waterfront property in Brown’s Barrie-area riding, the report stated.

The commissioner also found that Brown breached the integrity act twice by failing to disclose income he made from renting out property in 2016 and 2017.

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He recommended that Brown be issued a reprimand in relation to the loan and the rental income, and said “any further steps on the matter rest with the members of the Legislative Assembly.”

In a statement posted to Twitter, Brown said he “accepts the reprimand for not disclosing my limited rental income and temporary secondary mortgage.”

“Glad this matter is now closed,” he added.

In January, Brown resigned as PC leader in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations reported by CTV news. He has denied the allegations and is suing the broadcaster for $8 million.