Ian Scott and Bell Canada’s Mirko Bibic had a cordial but “exclusively professional” relationship when they met in an Ottawa pub in 2019, Conflict of Interest Commissioner Mario Dion reported. He found no reason to think Scott broke the rules, even though the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission was at the time dealing with a dispute over the prices big telcos like Bell charge small internet providers to use their networks. It ended with a CRTC decision in the big companies’ favour. (The Logic)

Talking point: The decision and the circumstances incensed smaller providers. Dion noted that the law he administers isn’t concerned with cases of apparent conflicts of interest, only the actual use of public authority to further an officeholder’s private interests. Also, despite Scott’s later public statements that the pub date wasn’t to discuss business, he told Dion it was a courtesy meeting to congratulate Bibic on his impending promotion from COO to CEO; it only touched on CRTC matters when Bibic brought up his interest in promoting French-language media in Quebec. Since the two aren’t friends and didn’t improperly talk business, there’s no violation to examine, Dion found.