Bartolucci denies NDP allegations of government kickbacks

Former Sudbury Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci denied allegations today from the NDP that his home was cleaned for free as part of a government kickback scheme when he was minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services in 2010.

“The allegation was made and there was no substance to it,” Bartolucci said. “Pure and simple.”

NDP MPP for Timmins-James Bay, Gilles Bisson, first challenged the Liberals on the allegations in the Ontario Legislature on May 1.

“Premier, which Liberal cabinet ministers had their homes cleaned for free as part of this kickback scheme?” he asked Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne at the time.

“Our government took the allegations around this issue very seriously in 2010 that there were irregularities,” Wynne responded. “As soon as the OPS (Ontario Public Service) discovered that there were irregular financial transactions, they initiated an internal audit. The information gathered from the audit was shared with the OPP, and an investigation was launched.”

On December 20, 2010, the OPP laid charges against three government employees and an employee of a facility management company.

After the May 1 exchange, the NDP sent out a call to the public for more information about the allegations.

Bisson said a whistleblower has since given the party the names of two former ministers who allegedly had their homes cleaned for free – Bartolucci and Harinder Takhar, the former minister of government services.

“The OPP has the list of the names,” Bisson said in a telephone interview. “If she (Wynne) says that's not the case well then have her release the damn names.”

The NDP has created a website, www.libmaid.ca, with a petition asking Wynne to release the documents regarding the OPP investigation regarding government kickbacks in 2010.

The OPP could not be reached for comment.