Consultations on councillor conduct underway
Joanne Chianello | CBC News | Posted: April 16, 2021 8:00 AM | Last Updated: November 5, 2021
Accounts of Coun. Rick Chiarelli's behaviour helped spur provincial policy review
If you're among those who felt the consequences facing Ottawa Coun. Rick Chiarelli, who was found to have harassed former staffers, fell short of the mark, the province is asking for your feedback.
In early March, the Ontario government quietly announced it would launch consultations "to strengthen accountability for council members." The move came in response to public pressure — and to recommendations from the influential Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) — for more severe penalties for the most serious violations of codes of conduct for municipal elected officials.
This week, the province issued a call for input from councillors, their staff, integrity commissioners and members of the public on how rules around councillor conduct could be strengthened, and whether there should be a mechanism to remove an elected official from public office in a worst-case scenario.
- Rick Chiarelli committed 'incomprehensible incidents of harassment' against staff, 2nd report finds
- Exclusive: 'I felt like an object': Women behind shocking Chiarelli report tell their stories
Following a CBC investigation into Chiarelli's behaviour toward female job applicants and some of his former staff members, Ottawa's integrity commissioner delivered two scathing reports that found the College ward councillor had engaged in "incomprehensible incidents of harassment."
Chiarelli incident spurs review
Five complainants alleged Chiarelli had urged them to hit on men in bars as a way of recruiting volunteers, talked about their bodies, suggested they not wear bras to events, pressed them to tell him intimate details of their lives and routinely reminded them they could be fired at any time.
Council approved the recommended sanctions against Chiarelli by suspending his pay for 450 days, the most severe penalty available under current provincial law.
Council urged Chiarelli to resign, but he refused. A number of people, including Chiarelli's former staff members and sitting politicians, expressed dismay that he could not be removed from office.
- Analysis: Why some councillors feel the Chiarelli sanctions are 'totally inadequate'
- Analysis: Why efforts to remove city councillors from office are picking up steam in 2 provinces
Petitions to remove him were launched, and council requested that the province change the law to allow a councillor to be unseated in extreme circumstances.
Orléans MPP Stephen Blais tabled a private member's bill calling for a judicial review to decide whether a municipally elected official should be removed from office after having been found to have violated workplace violence and harassment policies.
Consultation in 2 phases
The policy review is being spearheaded by Steve Clark, the minister for municipal affairs and housing, and Jill Dunlop, the associate minister of children and women's issues, who will undertake the consultation in two phases.
The first is a survey of the wider public about the AMO's recommendations, and asks for feedback on the following:
- Changes or mechanisms are needed to better hold council members accountable for municipal code of conduct violations.
- How to more effectively enforce these codes.
- Whether a broader range of penalties for violations of the codes of conduct are needed, from stiffer financial penalties to outright expulsion from office.
As well, Dunlop will be "holding roundtables with a variety of municipal stakeholders on how to strengthen accountability measures for members," according to a news release.
The details of when the roundtables will be held or how they'll be conducted have not yet been released.
Corrections:- A previous version of this story said city council approved the recommended sanction against Chiarelli by suspending his pay for 150 days. Council actually voted to suspend his pay for 450 days. November 5, 2021 3:23 PM