Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela and her counterpart from Ontario in Canada, Andre Marin, will hold a round table discussion on Wednesday, centering on Mr Marin’s approach to investigations in comparison to the Public Protector methods.
In his country, Mr Marin enjoys an unsurpassed reputation for fair, thorough and objective systemic investigations. His Special Ombudsman Response Team model has resulted in major government reforms that improved the lives of the people of Ontario.
These include Ontario’s procedures for newborn screening, property tax assessment system, funding for the disabled and special-needs children, out-of-country medical treatment, crime victim compensation and legal aid.
Mr Marin’s report on the Ontarian government’s passing of a secret regulation that police used to detain people near Toronto’s G20 summit of world leaders last year ranks as one his career highlights.
He is in the country to train 85 Public Protector investigators from all over the country on a course titled “Sharpening Your Teeth: Advanced Training for Administrative Watchdogs”.
The course, which enjoys the backing of the International Ombudsman Institute, has over the years been attended by hundreds of administrative investigators and ombudsmen from all over the world.
These include the Canadian federal and provincial agencies, US states and federal departments, Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, South America and Asia, amongst others.
The discussion will be held as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Time: 09h00
Venue: Public Protector House, Pretoria
Members of the media interested in attending the event and interacting with the Public Protector and Mr Marin can confirm attendance with:
Oupa Segalwe
Tel: 012 366 7035
Cell: 072 264 3273
Enquiries:
Kgalalelo Masibi
Tel: 012 366 7006
Cell: 079 507 0399
E-mail: kgalalelom@pprotect.org
