After 35-years in local public service as Ottawa’s city clerk and/or city solicitor, Rick now assists municipalities on various legislative and governance challenges.
Rick testified as an expert witness on ethics and conflict of interest in two judicial inquiries and has been honoured for his work by various organizations, including AMCTO’s Prestige Award for his ongoing efforts to make local government more open, transparent and accountable. Among the first to receive the designation of Certified Municipal Officer (CMO) from AMCTO, Rick was also awarded a Certified Specialist in Municipal Law from the Law Society of Ontario.
The author of various books and articles including Ontario’s Municipal Conflict of Interest Act: A Handbook (3rd ed. 2026), Open Local Government (2nd ed. 2003) and. O’Brien’s Forms – Municipal Corporations (11th ed. 2026), Rick was also the lead trainer/facilitator for the AMCTO Municipal Elections Training Program in 2026.