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Integrity Commissioner Report - May 29, 2018
The Integrity Commissioner received complaints that the Mayor boycotted and campaigned against the Town-organized New Year’s Event of 2017, and publicly criticized staff in the manner they were administering the event. A further complaint was received that the Mayor had falsely accused staff of breaking in to his office. Following a thorough investigation of these complaints, in both cases, the
behaviours were found to have occurred, and were determined to be in breach of the Code of Conduct.
The Integrity Commissioner therefore recommend:
- That Council receive this report for information, and that it be posted on the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville web site for public access;
- That Council pass the following resolution:
That having been found to have breached the Code of Conduct for Members of
the Council of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Mayor Justin Altmann be and is
hereby formally reprimanded.
Office of the Integrity Commissioner’s Annual Report (February 2017 – February 2018)
Integrity Commissioner Report - Complaint Investigation #517 - March 6, 2018
The "Respondent" (Mayor Justin Altmann) was required to apologize for his actions in regard to the Integrity Commissioner's Report from September 26, 2017. The Respondent did not issue an apology. Therefore, as a result of the Integrity Commissioner’s Report - Complaint Investigation #517 - of March 6, 2018, Whitchurch-Stouffville Council approved the following sanctions:
- Issue a formal Reprimand to Mayor Justin Altmann in relation to his refusal to issue an apology in accordance with the Council decision of September 26, 2017;
- Suspend the remuneration paid to Mayor Justin Altmann in respect of his role as Mayor for a period of 90 days;
- Removal of the Mayor from membership of all committees including ex-officio appointments for the duration of Council term;
- Apart from during Council Meetings, communicate with municipal staff solely by email to an email address to be provided. No other form of communication shall be permitted nor responded to for the duration of Council term, with exceptions as authorized by the CAO;
- The Mayor shall immediately return his keys and access card to the municipal offices or facilities for the duration of Council term;
- The Mayor shall have no access to municipal facilities except Town Hall during business hours to attend at the front desk or public areas to pick up Council packages, sign documents, meetings with constituents or make bill payments and to attend Council meetings, for the duration of Council term.
Integrity Commissioner Report - Complaint Investigation #417 - March 6, 2018
The "Respondent" (Mayor Justin Altmann) was accused of breaching confidentiality in a radio interview. As a result of the Integrity Commissioner’s Report - Complaint Investigation #417 - of March 6, 2018, Whitchurch-Stouffville Council approved the following sanctions:
- Issue a formal Reprimand to Mayor Justin Altmann in relation to his violation of the confidentiality provisions of the Code of Conduct; and
- Suspend the remuneration paid to Mayor Justin Altmann in respect of his role as Mayor for a period of 90 days.
Integrity Commissioner Report - September 26, 2017
In the Integrity Commissioner's Report of September 26, 2017 (Whitchurch Stouffville Code of Conduct Complaint Investigation), the Integrity Commissioner recommended the following sanctions against the "Respondent" (Mayor Justin Altmann):
- that Council impose the following sanctions:
(a) Reprimand of the Respondent, including an admonition to interact respectfully with staff and use Town offices and facilities appropriately; and
(b) a Suspension of remuneration paid to the Respondent in respect of his services as a member of council, for a period of 30 days. - that Council enact the following corrective actions:
(a) request the Respondent to issue an apology, in open session of council, for having created the Wall in the Office of the Mayor's washroom which was then viewed by Staff, which was vexatious and disturbing to staff and amounted to a serious incident of workplace harassment. - that the Respondent provide evidence of compliance with the sanctions and corrective actions of Council within 90 day of receipt this report.
On September 26, 2017, Whitchurch-Stouffville Council accepted the Integrity Commissioner's recommendations and imposed the above sanctions on the Respondent.