The City of Ottawa's auditor has launched an investigation following reports that a company seeking controversial changes to a landfill gave Stanley Cup playoff tickets to senior bureaucrats, including at least one who works in the department that oversees garbage collection and disposal.

Richard Hewitt, deputy city manager of public works and services, confirmed weekend media reports that he was among city employees who watched a recent Ottawa Senators hockey game from Waste Management's corporate box at Scotiabank Place.

Auditor General André Lalonde said he is considering specifying a dollar value for gifts that city employees may accept.
(CBC)

On Monday, after those reports appeared, Auditor General André Lalonde said his department is investigating two cases to determine whether senior employees broke the city's staff code of conduct when they accepted gifts, including hockey tickets. The department will also judge whether the city's code of conduct needs to be clarified.

"A lot of cases start from individuals … but we try to put it in the context of a general policy," Lalonde told reporters Monday.

He added that Hewitt's case is not among those he is probing, and will likely not need to be investigated, as recommendations for policy changes will come out of the other cases.

The code of conduct currently says staff must avoid both "the reality and the appearance of impropriety" when it comes to individuals or companies the city does business with, and staff shouldn't accept "gifts, favours, hospitality or entertainment" from them. However, it lists many exceptions and leaves a lot up to employees' own judgment.

Lalonde said he favours changing the city's policy to specify a dollar value — such as $25 — that employees are allowed to accept as gifts.

"In my opinion it would be a lot simpler … and that is something we are considering as part of this policy."

Policy does not apply to mayor, councillors

The city's staff code of conduct does not cover elected officials, Lalonde said.

"Councillors and the mayor answer to a higher authority — the population — so it's their call and what they decide to do. It's their own prerogative."

Steve Kanellakos, deputy city manager of community and protective services, said he thinks the current rules need to be made clearer.

"There's places where it says you shouldn't accept gifts in certain circumstances and there's other places where it says you can accept to further business relationships," he said. "So depending on what the circumstances are, it's open to interpretation."

Innes Ward Coun. Rainer Bloess said he welcomes the auditor general's investigation.

"Well, I think it's a good thing in the sense that it has to give us that assurance that nothing has been done improper, illegal here," he said. "And I think maybe it's going to give us some indication whether we have to tighten up the code of conduct."

Waste Management is in the midst of a bid to expand the Carp Road dump that has been fiercely opposed by residents near the site. The company has also been pushing for a potentially lucrative agreement with the City of Ottawa for a proposed multimillion-dollar energy-from-waste facility at the site.

Waste Management spokesman Wes Muir said the company offers hockey tickets to its clients as a way of "maintaining good working relationships."

"They accept these invitations at their discretion, and we feel that we have a very open and transparent relationship with the City of Ottawa," he added.