Public hearings for phase two of the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry came to a close today.
Justice Frank Marrocco thanked the participants for their cooperation in the ‘thorough and stressful process.”
Marrocco said there have been 49 witnesses over 56 days of hearings for phase one and two of the inquiry.
Phase one was focused on the 2012 Collus share sale to PowerStream, and phase two looked at the allocation of the proceeds from that sale to build two recreation facilities – Central Park Arena and Centennial Aquatic Centre.
The closing statements from phase two participants are due to the inquiry by January 10, and will be made public after that.
Phase three will commence over four days (Nov. 27, 28, 29 and Dec. 1) and will include a panel of experts in areas such as conflict of interest, lobbying, recruitment, and municipal governance.
Marrocco said the expert testimonies of those witnesses will help him and the inquiry "arrive at some reasonable reflection on a policy perspective on a go-forward basis." He will be making recommendations on future policies for the town to consider as a result of his findings from the inquiry.
Marrocco said he expects to have his final report and recommendations prepared by the end of February. The release of his report will conclude the Collingwood Public Inquiry.
