Scrappy night at Wasaga council

Integrity report sparks clashes, threat from mayor to clear the room

by Catherine Thompson 977 the beach

A Wasaga Beach councillor wants sanctions to be brought against the town’s Deputy Mayor.

Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze presented his report to council on Tuesday night to do with complaints of harassment filed by Andrew McNeill, Director of Economic Development and Tourism against Deputy Mayor Nina Bifolchi.

Swayze is not recommending any sanctions against Bifolchi, but he does say that it was wrong of Bifolchi to bring up matters that had already been decided on just to discredit McNeill.

The Integrity Commissioner’s report says that if there is a future such complaint he will recommend to council that a substantial part of the deputy mayor’s salary be suspended.

Council now has 30 days to respond to the report and Councillor Bonnie Smith wants an in-camera meeting to discuss imposing sanctions.

Smith says sanctions should be imposed similar to what has been happening in the town of the Blue Mountains where a member of council has allegedly been mistreating staff.

The Deputy Mayor told council, following the Integrity Commissioner’s presentation, that she has been on council for over 10 years and has a great working relationship with staff. Bifolchi says she feels the Director of Economic Development and Tourism has taken her questions and taken them personally and that if she asks a future question of the staff member, it will be taken the same way and it will result in another complaint which will cripple her ability to do her job.

Bifolchi went on to say that she will vote on items and share concerns at the council table and will not let the dark side of politics dictate her actions, she also said after reading her statement, that she was told by her lawyer not to comment further to anyone.

The council chambers were full of supporters of the Deputy Mayor who applauded her statement.

The crowd booed and shouted “nasty” when the Integrity Commissioner defended his position and when Councillor Bonnie Smith said the Deputy Mayor should know better.

The mayor asked the CAO to clear the council chambers, but the CAO suggested a ten minute break to speak with the mayor in private. When the mayor returned he cautioned the audience to be respectful and said he would clear the chambers if there were further outbursts.

Brian Smith also told council she feels the deputy mayor has had it in for Andrew McNeill.

The in-camera meeting to discuss any council-imposed sanctions against Deputy Mayor Nina Bifolchi will take place at the next Committee of the Whole meeting in early February (no date set yet).