OTTAWA — He’s only been spotted in the legislature twice this year. He’s never around when you call his Kilborn Avenue constituency office. And he’s ducked reporters and turned down numerous interview requests.

So where exactly is Dalton McGuinty, the member of provincial parliament for Ottawa South, and what has he been up to since stepping down as premier last October?

Answering such a simple question is harder than you might think.

The Citizen requested interviews with McGuinty on June 5, 6 and 7. Each request was turned down.

On Friday, his constituency office assistant said, “He’s not in the office today.”

So the Citizen called his office in Toronto — where he’s been reportedly been spending a lot of time these days — and requested an interview.

“He’s not available.” said Chike Agbasi, his executive assistant.

“Do you know where he is today?,” the Citizen inquired.

“He’s just not available,” Agbasi said.

The newspaper tried again on Monday and was turned down.

Agbasi noted McGuinty is still the MPP for Ottawa South but, when asked what activities the MPP has done in that capacity since February, he replied, “I’m not going to get into details with you.”

McGuinty doesn’t sit on a committee, isn’t a cabinet minister and doesn’t attend question period, so why is he too busy to talk?

“He’s not available to speak with you,” Agbasi repeated.

The Citizen then asked to schedule an interview in advance.

“He’s currently not available. You’re welcome to call me back and ask me again if he’s available. If I called your office and said, ‘Are you available?’ and you were not available, it doesn’t mean you’re never available, it means you’re not available. You’ve asked if he’s available, he’s not available,” Agbasi explained.

“The phone is always on and you’re always welcome to call me at any time to schedule an appointment with Mr. McGuinty.”

But Agbasi refused to book an interview, suggesting instead that we call him back the next day to see if McGuinty is available.

The Citizen also raised the issue with his successor, Premier Kathleen Wynne, inquiring is whether this is the kind of behaviour she would expect from a sitting MPP.

Her office declined to comment.

On his website’s home page, McGuinty tells constituents that he is “proud to be the MPP for Ottawa South. And I am committed to always making sure that you have a voice at Queen’s Park.”

But lately that voice hasn’t even been a whisper.

If he is in the legislature Tuesday for the final reading and vote on the province’s $127.6-billion budget, it will only be the third time since Wynne became premier in February.

The first two times, he has avoided reporters by ducking down what the Queen’s Park press gallery call “coward’s alley” — a linking of offices from the chamber all the way to the premier’s office that allows government MPPs to avoid media scrums.

First elected in 1990 and premier from 2003 to 2012, McGuinty spoke to reporters briefly last month after testifying at the committee investigating the controversial cancellations of two Toronto-area gas-fired power plants.