Judge appointed to oversee inquiry into charges against McCallion

Ontario Superior Court Justice John Cunningham has been appointed as the Commissioner of the judicial inquiry into conflict of interest charges against Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion.  Justice Cunningham is the Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario and the same judge who sat on Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien's trial on corruption charges last summer.  The judge will be responsible for setting the timing and parameters surrounding the inquiry as well as how information will be gathered and made public.  In September, city council voted to call a judicial inquiry into Ms. McCallion's alleged involvement in a $14.4-million development project connected to her son's company and why she allegedly failed to declare a conflict of interest.  The spectre of an inquiry has provoked sharp criticism from many residents who admire Ms. McCallion, 88, for her service to the city.