Ontario searches for new integrity commissioner as Greenbelt report author prepares to retire [Video]

Ontario’s integrity commissioner, whose scathing report into the Ford government’s handling of the Greenbelt led to resignations and reversals, is set to retire in a matter of months, capping off an eight-year term as the province’s ethics watchdog.

J. David Wake, who previously served as Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice before being appointed as the integrity commissioner by Queen’s Park in 2016, is poised to step away from the role in January.

“The Office can confirm that Integrity Commissioner Wake intends to retire in January 2025,” the integrity commissioner’s office told Global News in an emailed statement.

Wake privately informed MPPs and party leaders of his retirement earlier this year, touching off a search for a new non-partisan watchdog for a five-year term, led by the Legislative Assembly.

Wake’s departure, however, comes amid an active investigation by the integrity commissioner’s office into non-compliance with the province’s lobbying laws — the outcome of which has yet to be determined.