BARRY’S BAY – There were gasps in the gallery when the CAO/Clerk of Madawaska Valley Township revealed how much a handful of complaints to the integrity commissioner have cost ratepayers to date. On November 5, Integrity Commissioner Guy Giorno visited the township to present his second and third report on complaints he inherited from the former integrity commissioner. It’s the integrity commissioner’s job to find out if a councillor was found to be in contravention of the Code of Conduct. He presented his first report in the summer, relating to Councillor Shelley Maika. Councillor Maika was once again the subject of another complaint, as well as Councillor Ernie Peplinski. Giorno concluded in all three reports that no one has been found in contravention of the code. The individual(s) who made the complaint were not identified by Giorno in his reports. “I did not think it was necessary to council’s understanding of the reports that I name the complainants,” Giorno said. “But I did think it was essential to the understanding of the facts and understanding of the findings and the recommendations that I disclose a lot of the context including context about the complainants and how they fit into the facts.” To read the full story, pick up a copy of the November 7, 2018 Valley Gazette.