Councillors Explain Their Votes On Plante Issue

Barrhaven East Councillor Wilson Lo

I voted against the Gower motion, because I didn’t support amendments to the Integrity Commissioner’s recommendations.

Sprung structures was controversial and discussions about it got heated at times, but Councillor Plante engaged in an unnecessary and sustained campaign of personal attacks that did not contribute to the debate. In contrast, I was copied on an email thread around the same time between Councillor Devine and one of his residents, where they shared their disagreements on the topic, but it remained civil and professional, and never devolved into personal attacks or attempts to discredit the other.

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This reporting is courtesy of the city-wide community group Your Applewood Acres (And Beyond) Neighbours

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Council represents the City, and it’s reasonable to expect a level of professionalism and respect from us. Though what my residents experienced wasn’t intimidation in the traditional sense, the nature of Plante’s comments certainly did nothing to encourage public engagement on the matter. Super interesting, because she brought up her ward’s traditionally low voter turnout and engagement as a reason to engage with my residents in the way she did.

I’ll also add the way she publicly berated the Integrity Commissioner (at Council) is somewhat of an extension of that behaviour. Not a good look. The Mayor, as chair of the meeting, should not have allowed it to continue the way it did.

If residents believe it was particularly inappropriate, they can and should file a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner, though the stunt Council pulled yesterday highlights one of the weaknesses of the process.

Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard

We had two motions on the table:

One to give no reprimand and simply receive the report, and one to give a formal reprimand with no suspension of pay. I voted for a formal reprimand. I did this because I think the integrity commissioner followed our code of conduct even though I did think some of the findings lacked a bit of political insight or understanding of how social media works. Nonetheless overall I felt the conduct did need some checks and balances. This was also the first time the IC has been in front of council related to the councillor and a suspension of pay may normally be reserved for repeat or other egregious acts.

Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower

I don’t have any additional information or comments at this time, other than to reiterate that I am glad that a majority of council accepted the Integrity Commissioner’s report. The report was a very strong reminder that as community leaders, councillors need to demonstrate a very high level of decorum and character when we are communicating with residents.

Knoxdale Merivale Councillor Sean Devine

1) Why did you agree to the motion that includes removal of the Commissioner’s recommendation for a 3-day pay suspension, while accepting a ‘reprimand’? 

ANSWER: Certainly, I agreed with and supported the Integrity Commissioner’s findings that Councillor Plante contravened the Code of Conduct and was deserving of some form of sanction. Choosing between a reprimand or a three-day suspension, both of which are essentially symbolic in nature, wasn’t my greatest concern. I would’ve been fine proceeding with the recommendation to suspend Plante’s pay, as it’s my opinion that her actions cast a bad light on Council, and I do not feel that she has demonstrated any significant level of remorse or regret for her actions. But it’s clear that there would not have been enough votes to suspend pay, so I voted for the compromise.

2) Do you have any message to share with residents about community engagement with this issue being part of the context now? (And several people are seeking more insights into how Councillors view this issue, as they say they have observed or experienced first-hand similar disrespect… on other issues when being involved with City Hall issues.) 

ANSWER: Certainly, toxicity in public discourse does have a detrimental effect on public discourse, which hurts us all. And both sides of the discourse – the public and elected officials – should take responsibility for upholding a healthy and productive public discourse. Everyone involved in this discourse can keep themselves accountable simply by being more conscientious about what they contribute to that discourse. Whether you’re about to speak in a public forum, or send an email to an elected official, or engage on social media, you can always pause to ask yourself questions on what you’re about to say, or write, or post: Is what I’m about to communicate truthful, to the best of my knowledge? Am I communicating this in a way that is respectful? And if I’m communicating this electronically, am I communicating it in a way that I’d still be able to do if I was communicating face-to-face?

3) People are talking about the City’s current management of citizen complaints about a Councillor’s behaviour (or any staff member’s) and are asking if there is any consideration to finding other ways to manage these issues with the current process found to be onerous by many, and something that takes a lot of time before a conclusion is reached. 

ANSWER: …I don’t believe that we should “simplify” the formal process for Integrity Commissioner complaints and investigations, in the same way that I don’t think we should “simplify” our legal system. There are reasons why they need to be this complex, because the process needs to be rigorous and held to very high standards. But there are other channels for residents to communicate their complaints about an elected official’s behavior, and even publicly

But generally, the process can start as simply as a resident sending an email to the Integrity Commissioner.

However, if someone is going to make a formal complaint, where they are suggesting that a Councillor may have done something in violation of the Code of Conduct, for example, then the complainant should take it upon themselves to make a reasonable determination that the Code may have been broken.

Follow-up Question: Has there ever been discussion/consideration among councillors (and/or staff) about finding other ways to manage complaints …?

Devine: Not that I’m aware of.  But generally, the process can start as simply as a resident sending an email to the Integrity Commissioner.

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