Integrity commissioner will have his hands full
A meeting about establishing a new code of conduct for regional council dissolved momentarily into chaos and shouting when St. Catharines Coun. Andy Petrowski was allowed to speak as a private citizen.
Activist Ed Smith and workplace culture expert Ted Mouradian were among others who addressed the meeting Tuesday before Petrowski spoke.
Mouradian yelled at Regional Chair Alan Caslin to rule Petrowski out of order, but Petrowski continued to talk. Mouradian and Smith then led a temporary exodus from the chamber in protest.
“This was a public meeting,” Mouradian said.
“If you watch what happened, the chair orchestrated it so that he (Petrowski) could speak last. That was totally out of order. It was totally inappropriate. That’s why I walked out.”
Caslin checked with the acting clerk and said there was precedent for allowing a councillor to address a meeting as a citizen.
There are more than 15 complaints about regional councillors pending, the meeting heard. Petrowski said he is the subject of three of them.
“It’s very clear from the public’s thoughtful input tonight that the current code of conduct is useless and is designed to ignore the higher laws of Ontario and Canada, especially our Charter of Rights, which protects every citizen’s right to freedom of expression, religion and association,” Petrowksi said.
“I believe that the code of conduct is nothing less than a convenient and very costly political tool, funded by local taxpayers, for some with an axe to grind to launch their personal and political attacks against their enemies and does nothing to address the significant economic challenges facing Niagara.”
Perry Schlanger, a St. Catharines teacher, addressed the meeting and was one member of the gallery who also walked out when Petrowski spoke.
While addressing the meeting, he said ethics guidelines can’t be skirted by councillors claiming to be speaking as private citizens.
“We expect our councillors to behave themselves in a dignified manner and that has not been the case,” he said. “The code … should apply to councillors at all times, in every context. Your job isn’t 9-to-5.
“Many professionals, including some employed by this Region — doctors, social workers, police — know their conduct is under scrutiny 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their ethics never get turned off. Why should managerial ethics get turned off when they take their regional councillor’s hat off?”
Schlanger was one of the members of public who pleaded with regional council to re-institute a code of conduct in December after Petrowski found himself in hot water for some of his social media activity.
Regional council voted in February 2015 to do away with the services of an integrity commissioner, citing concerns about the cost and its use as a political tool to punish councillors who are out of favour with the majority.
“No code can be exhaustive, but it can be comprehensive,” Schlanger said. “I point you to the coat of arms. At the bottom it says unity responsibility-loyalty. I think the public expects that at the very least from our elected officials.
“I would bet my last dollar that if polled residents had to pick three words to describe regional council, those three words would not make the top 10.”
Interim integrity commissioner John Mascarin was on hand. He is helping the region shape its code.
He outlined proposed legislative changes Queen’s Park is considering for codes of conduct.
The provincial government is considering Bill 68 — the Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act — which will mandate municipalities establish codes of conduct and have an integrity commissioner. The bill has passed its second reading.