$50K investigation into Sudbury transit scandal turns up no new info

Sudbury's mayor says it's time for the city to move on from the transit ticket scandal — this, after a new $50,000 investigation turned up no new information.

Between 1999 and 2009, $800,000 in bus ticket revenue owed to the city was kept by a numbered company hired to run the kiosk in the downtown transit terminal.

The city recovered about $300,000, but no charges were ever laid and a lawsuit was never filed.

The scandal is still top of mind for many citizens some seven years later.

Mayor Brian Bigger investigated the case when he was the auditor general, and last fall, he and council ordered a new investigation into what happened, hiring Investigative Solutions Network for $50,000.

Bigger told council Tuesday night that no evidence of criminal activity was found (which was also the conclusion of a police investigation in 2013) and the contracted investigators also praised some of the changes to internal systems brought in by the last city council.

"No new evidence came forward, there's no evidence of criminality. That's actually comforting to the community and we needed to establish that," Bigger told reporters Tuesday.

He said he considers the case closed now and said he would no longer comment on it publicly.

"It is time for all of us, as a council, as employees, as citizens to close the book on this matter. We must and will now move on," said Bigger.