Nanaimo councillors face no charges, prosecutor says

No charges will be laid against any current or former members of Nanaimo city council, according to the special prosecutor appointed to look into several allegations that arose during political in-fighting.

Mark Jette, the special prosecutor who was appointed in December, has concluded a review of the file and did not recommend any charges to Crown counsel, said a statement released Tuesday by the B.C. Prosecution Service.

Jette’s role was announced in April, after an unnamed member of Nanaimo council was arrested and released without charges. That matter has been resolved outside of formal court proceedings, said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for the B.C. Prosecution Service. “No further information will be released regarding the resolution of that matter in light of the privacy concerns for those involved,” McLaughlin said.

B.C. Municipal Affairs Minister Selina Robinson has said that the province will not intervene in fixing the dysfunctional council.

In March 2016, seven of the eight councillors called for Mayor Bill McKay to resign, alleging he bullied a staff member. Last November, the Nanaimo municipality sent RCMP information that included allegations about McKay relating to financial-disclosure reporting, business dealings and trade missions. McKay denied the allegations. RCMP said at the time that it was bringing in outside expertise to aid their investigation.

In December, the municipality launched a civil lawsuit against the mayor alleging he released confidential information to a former administrative assistant, who was negotiating a settlement with Nanaimo after leaving a city hall job. That same month, a group of citizens filed a court petition to disqualify McKay as mayor.

Jette was appointed to avoid any “potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice in light of the fact that the allegations related to or involved members of Nanaimo city council as elected municipal officials.”