Ontario NDP calls for probe into lobbyist for Skills Development Fund after inviting labour minister to wedding

Jon Woodward reports on Ontario NDP's Marit Stiles calling for a probe into lobbyists associated with the Skills Development Fund.

The leader of Ontario’s official opposition has filed a complaint with the province’s ethics watchdog, alleging a lobbyist may have crossed the line by inviting the province’s labour minister to his wedding at a luxury hotel in Paris, France.

Marit Stiles asked Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell to investigate whether attending the wedding put Minister David Piccini in a real or potential conflict of interest, considering that the groom was the registered lobbyist for a company that gained millions from that ministry’s Skills Development Fund.

“There is something that doesn’t smell right about that. And so I’ve asked the integrity commissioner to look into that,” Stiles told a gathering of reporters at the legislature Wednesday.

The groom at the wedding in Paris was Michael Rudderham, Stiles said, citing a report from TheTrillium.ca.

• Ontario labour minister attended Leafs game, wedding with those seeking millions from Skills Development Fund: reports

He’s a registered lobbyist for a company called Keel Digital Solutions Inc., which received two Skills Development Fund grants totalling over $7.5 million.

“The Integrity Commissioner’s interpretation bulletin #11 warns that lobbyists risk placing public office holders in a real or potential conflict of interest if they have a close friendship with a public office holder,” a letter from Stiles reads.

“It is extremely unlikely Mr. Piccini would have attended Mr. Rudderham’s destination wedding, at a five-star hotel during Fashion Week, if they were not close friends,” the letter says.

Keel Digital Solutions is the same company whose director, Peter Zakarow, was photographed with Piccini in rink-side seats at a Toronto Maple Leafs game in 2023.

Piccini has said he paid for his own ticket and stayed in a separate hotel on his trip to Paris and said he typically pays for his own ticket at hockey games.

“The Minister is committed to transparency and will co-operate with any process that may be initiated by the Integrity Commissioner’s office in connection with this matter,” said a statement from his office.

The Integrity Commissioner’s office confirmed it received Stiles’s complaint but didn’t confirm whether it was conducting an investigation.

The $2.5 billion Skills Development Fund has given training to workers through more than 1,000 programs and helped more than 100,000 people secure careers in in-demand sectors, the labour ministry said in a statement.

• $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants traced to lobbyists with ties to Ontario premier

Ontario’s auditor general found that more than half the time, political staff overruled the ratings of the applicants and sent almost $750 million to their preferred choices.

At least tens of millions of dollars appear to have gone to Progressive Conservative Party donors or connected lobbyists, some of whom used to work in the premier’s office, stories by CTV News have found.

Piccini confirmed to Newstalk 1010 that he intervened to support the Keel Digital Solutions grant despite it being “lower scoring.” In that interview, Piccini said, “I don’t control private sector decisions on who hires whom to represent them. I don’t need a lobbyist to tell me to support first responders.”