Ethics commissioner flags conflict at Sustainable Development Technology Canada

The ethics commissioner says the former chair of a foundation responsible for doling out federal funds for sustainable technology projects failed to recuse herself from decisions that benefited organizations she had ties to.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada was abolished last month in response to an auditor general's report that cited lapses in the green fund's handling of public money.

Annette Verschuren became chair of the board for Sustainable Development Technology Canada in 2019, but also continued to serve on the boards of the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment and the MaRS Discovery District.

Ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein found that she failed to recuse herself from decisions that benefited the two organizations with which she was affiliated, though she did often abstain from voting.

She also remained chair, CEO, and majority shareholder of NRStor Inc. — a company she founded.

During the COVID-19 pandemic she voted to give emergency relief payments to all companies that had previously been approved for funding, including her own.