How to Submit a Report
Ethical concerns related to suspected fraud, waste or serious wrongdoing can be reported by:
- Calling the City’s Fraud and Waste Hotline at 1-866-959-9309; or
- Filling out and submitting a report through the IntegrityCounts portal at (https://integritycounts.ca/org/cityofottawa)
Definitions of Fraud, Waste and Serious Wrongdoing
Fraud: Fraud includes any intentional misuse or attempt to misuse a City asset for personal gain, or unauthorized purposes which are unrelated to City business. Examples of fraud include, but are not limited to:
- Forgery or alteration of cheques, drafts, promissory notes or securities
- Any misappropriation, embezzlement or theft of funds, securities, supplies or any other asset
- Any intentional mishandling or misreporting of money transactions
- Any computer-related activity involving the alteration, forgery or manipulation of data for fraudulent purposes
- Any intentional claim for reimbursement of expenses that are fictious or not eligible under the applicable expense and reimbursements guidelines
Waste: Waste means the inefficient use of City resources in any operation, process or activity where City resources are used without due regard for the value of money and/or opportunities to save money. Examples of waste include, but are not limited to:
- Significant misuse of time for non-City related tasks
- Excess use of time due to significantly inefficient business processes
- Use of public funds to purchase resources that exceed what would be reasonably expected to be required to perform said service(s)
- Use of public funds to purchase excess or unnecessary resources
Serious Wrongdoing: Serious wrongdoing is any actions or behaviour that have a significant impact on the quality and delivery of government services, or its reputation. The actions or behaviours may be the result of gross misconduct and/or create a breach of public trust. Examples of serious wrongdoing include, but are not limited to:
- Serious violations of the Employee Code of Conduct
- Violation of the Ethical Purchasing Policy
- Destruction or mishandling of data in violation of the Records Management Policy
- Releasing confidential information to the media
- Conflict of interest between a position held at the City and other responsibilities/roles
- Abuse of power, position, or title for personal gain
- Seeking or accepting anything of material value outside of the established rules set out in the City of Ottawa Employee Code of Conduct from vendors, consultants, or contractors doing business with the City
- Organizing or engaging in schemes or agreements, with corrupt intent, that could influence decision making (e.g., bribes and/or kickbacks)
The City has separate channels where service requests, complaints and feedback may be submitted. Should you want to provide feedback regarding a City service, policy, program or staff member, you can submit a complaint to the department or branch responsible for that service.
You can also make a formal report or request to the City to obtain specific information or to request a service.
What to include in your report:
When submitting a Fraud and Waste report, please include as much information as possible in your report. The more details you provide relating to:
- when (date and time);
- what (incident);
- where (location);
- who (individuals involved or have witnessed the event, or are aware of the incident); and
- how (tools, equipment, policy breach, etc.), the easier it will be for us to investigate.
While users can choose to remain anonymous, the Fraud and Waste Hotline has the functionality to facilitate anonymous and confidential two-way communication that allows reporters to access their report after submitting the initial report. This feature allows the reporter to submit additional information, track the progress of the case, respond to any follow-up questions, as well as receive the outcome of their report. We encourage reporters to check the status of their report regularly as the Office may reach out to request additional information.
Respectful Communication
The OAG is committed to corresponding in a respectful and professional manner. Similarly, it is expected that those who report fraud, waste or wrongdoing will do the same. Staff within the OAG will not tolerate profane language, threatening, discriminatory or harassing behaviour. Repeated behaviour of this kind will result in our Office restricting communications.