Protesters calling for Coun. Rick Chiarelli's resignation also took part in the 2020 women's march.
Ontario politicians who’ve long advocated for a way to fire councillors who harass their staff are feeling a mix of relief and frustration with the government's new bill.Protesters call for then Ottawa city councillor Rick Chiarelli's resignation in 2020. Accusations of harassment prompted a provincewide push to update the rules.
Multiple integrity commissioner reports found Rick Chiarelli committed "incomprehensible incidents of harassment," but councillors had little power to punish the behaviour beyond suspending his pay and calling on him to resign.'Better without a bra': More women come forward with allegations against ChiarelliBlais was on Ottawa city council when women came forward with details of Chiarelli's inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour.
"Because no matter how egregious, no matter how appalling, no matter if the person is actually found to have egregiously violated the code by their local integrity commissioner, there is no power to remove that person," she explained, saying that underscores the courage of women who've come forward anyway.
Only councillors with "explained absences" would be exempt from the vote, making Blais concerned that if even one councillor is away from the table when the vote is called it would scuttle the chances of appropriate punishment. Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra has said the newly tabled government bill must set a high bar for removing a councillor from office. Jeffrey Abrams, partner at Principles Integrity, which serves as integrity commissioner for more than 60 Ontario municipalities, said the system — while not quite the Wild West — certainly needs improvement.
That could mean taking a page from the Education Act, which allows a trustee to be barred from attending meetings — something the Municipal Act does not allow for councillors., which the minister said is a key part of this proposed legislation. The bill lays out new rules for mandatory training.
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