“Internal Audit is not staffed to manage the Ethics Hotline” That’s one of the messages in a recent report from the City of Brampton department responsible for accountability in Canada’s ninth largest municipality. It is understaffed, the latest problem for the troubled internal audit function which fell under the control of Patrick Brown shortly after he became mayor.
With just one year on the job, the former head of internal audit, Sunny Kalkat, was suddenly no longer with the City after Brown became mayor and no replacement was named. Eventually, the man Brown hired to run City Hall took over control of the function, which is supposed to be independent. This violated provincial legislation designed to ensure the accountability process is not influenced by the very people whose conduct is policed by internal auditors.
A majority of councilors during the last term were forced to pass motions to restore some authority for the internal audit department after the former chief audit officer hired by Brown had moved the critical watchdog operation under his immediate supervision. David Barrick was eventually fired by the same majority of members after numerous examples of his questionable conduct, including his takeover of the accountability role.