Procedures:
- It is the responsibility of every Commissioner who is aware of a real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest on the part of a fellow Commissioner to raise the issue for clarification.
- Upon declaration of a conflict of interest at a Commission meeting, the Commission Secretary should note the declaration in the minutes of the meeting.
- Commissioners must absent themselves from the proceedings during discussion, or
voting on the particular matter, contract or arrangement to which they have declared a conflict. - Any Commission member concerned that either the Chair or another Member may have a conflict of interest, must immediately bring the perceived conflict to the attention of that Chair or Member. The Chair or Member shall then consult with the Commission’s legal counsel and they shall provide advice on how to address the conflict in an appropriate manner.
- The Commission’s legal counsel or an external agency hired to assess the risk associated with a potential conflict of interest shall evaluate and identify if any controls can or should be put in place to mitigate the risk to the Commission.
- The Commission will determine by majority vote if a conflict exists. The Commissioner potentially in conflict shall be absent from the discussion and shall not vote on the issue of whether a conflict exists.
- Where a Commissioner has declared a conflict in a matter, or a majority of the Commission has voted that a conflict of interest exists for a specific Commissioner in a matter, the affected Commissioner shall leave the meeting room for the duration of any discussion on the matter, abstain from participating in any discussion on the matter, shall not attempt to personally influence the outcome, and shall not vote on the matter.