COLLINGWOOD, Ont. - Andre Marin's days as Ontario's most outspoken government watchdog may be numbered.
An all-party committee tasked with deciding Marin's fate as ombudsman can't agree on who should get the job, prolonging a search that's sparked controversy from Day 1.
Meanwhile, reports are swirling that the government -- eager to oust the confrontational Marin in favour of former Liberal MP Susan Whelan -- have mounted a campaign to discredit him.
Liberals are apparently grumbling about Marin's expenses, including his frequent travel to his Ottawa home and the extensive renovations made to his office when he switched to a new location in downtown Toronto.
Added to the volatile mix are revelations of human-rights complaints against the ombudsman's office and an anonymous letter that points the finger at Marin for a toxic work environment.
Premier Dalton McGuinty insists he's not out to get Marin, noting that he's praised him in the past for his work.
"I think he's been very thorough. I think that he has been very helpful," he said at a weekend policy conference in Collingwood, Ont.
"Andre's been very effective at pointing out shortcomings."
But it was often a bitter pill to swallow. Marin's flair for attention-grabbing quotes often irked politicians and staffers whose files came under the ombudsman's microscope.
He openly feuded with former health minister David Caplan over public funding of the cancer drug Avastin, and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has yet to fully recover from Marin's scathing report on insider lottery wins.
When his contract wasn't renewed and the government opened up the job for competition, opposition critics accused McGuinty of trying to silence one of his most vocal critics.
Marin dismisses the allegations as "silly gossip," saying the move actually shaved $345,000 off his budget and his travel expenses are well within provincial rules.
He admits he's a demanding boss, but most of his staff love their work and have been with him for years, he said.
The tough talk in his reports were always directed to the bureaucracy, not the cabinet, he said.
"It's unfortunate that these comments have been taken personally," he said in an interview.
"It's not a mission, it's not a religion -- it's a job," he said.
Marin, who grew up with McGuinty on the same Ottawa street, said he still has faith in the process -- and the premier's promise that it will be fair.
"To me, Dalton's word is gold," he said.
"He's the big guy and that's what he says."
Marin's five-year contract expired March 31, but he was given a six-month extension while the panel vetted the candidates.
Two other watchdogs also had to compete for their jobs, but the panels have already recommended that environment commissioner Gord Miller and integrity commissioner Lynn Morrison keep their posts.
The ombudsman committee couldn't agree on who to hire, which means the process must start again with a new panel, said government house leader Monique Smith.
Smith flatly denied there was any plan to recruit Whelan for the ombudsman's post.
About 50 people applied for the job, but most were deemed unsuitable and only four candidates were interviewed, including Marin, according to government officials.
Smith said she's asked Speaker Steve Peters to form a new committee and post the job again.
"My understanding was that our first posting was only in one newspaper and it was only about a week of time," she said.
"So I've asked that we post it more broadly and for a more extended period of time to allow for more interest."
