Ombudsman to return as Sudbury's private meeting investigator

Sudbury city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to restore the office of the Ontario Ombudsman as its closed door meeting investigator.

This comes nearly two years after the previous council fired the Ombudsman and replaced his office with a private firm.

At the time, council argued that Ombudsman Andre Marin was "rude" and "unprofessional."

But speaking after last night's meeting, Mayor Brian Bigger said he didn't take exception with Marin's behaviour.

"I believe that the Ombudsman used the tools that he had available to really get the attention and the public."

This move was hardly a surprise, considering nearly every candidate in October's election promised to bring back the Ombudsman, many arguing that it is a free service, where the private firm is paid for its investigations.

"It's a promise that all were intent on keeping and you know, it really demonstrates our openness to scrutiny and to hold ourselves open and transparent and accountable," said Bigger.