Nanaimo mayor, councillor disagree with censure calls

Group says city hall ignoring residents’ needs

A Nanaimo councillor who has been censured twice this week by fellow council members disagrees with their decisions.

Coun. Diane Brennan said she will not apologize to council as requested following an in-camera meeting on Wednesday. Council decided that Brennan was responsible for two breaches of confidentiality and privacy, a city statement said Thursday.

“Mayor and council made a decision to condemn the conduct and requested a public apology,” it said.

Council decided that Brennan violated the Community Charter and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act “by releasing confidential information without authorization,” it said.

The city’s statement did not provide details but Brennan said one matter related to talking about the process that took place when hiring then-interim chief administrative officer Tracy Samra, who holds that position now.

Brennan said that she was allowed to talk about the process and that municipal documents back her up, but the in-camera meeting results show others on council disagreed. The second instance involved an email sent to a provincial official. Brennan said she did not share anything confidential. Again, council disagreed.

McKay said that he does not support the Wednesday censure decision. “In my view, this is nothing more than politics at its finest.”

Brennan and McKay have been censured by council in another matter. Censure hearings on Monday resulted in McKay and Brennan being directed to write letters of apology to Samra by month’s end and to take workplace training by the end of July.

Council members decided that McKay and Brennan had been disrespectful to Samra and had breached the city’s respectful workplace policy. McKay is not commenting until he speaks to his lawyer, who is out of the country.

Regarding making an apology because of Monday’s censure, Brennan said, “I am still discussing this with my friends and advisers and family.” She will take the workplace training. “I would never turn down an opportunity to have some professional development.”

Samra said that despite multiple requests neither McKay or Brennan, “have advised me whether or not they accept the findings of fact or that they will agree to carry out any of the recommendations, including simply agreeing to work with me in a professional manner in the workplace.”

The censure hearings are the latest turbulence to hit Nanaimo City Hall.

Our Nanaimo, a community group describing itself as non-partisan and grassroots, said in a statement Thursday that city hall is ignoring the needs of residents by spending spending too much time on censure hearings.

“There are many serious issues facing the city of Nanaimo and its residents — crumbling infrastructure, housing, the opioid crisis, governance, planning.”

“Our Nanaimo urges city council to finally focus on what they were elected for — the good governance of Nanaimo and the public interest.”

Coun. Gord Fuller said the city is productive and is addressing key issues.

For example, its strategic plan will include a comprehensive affordable housing plan for low-income and homeless people. “In the past three years, we’ve added many, many affordable housing units in the community,” he said. “More is getting done, I believe than in previous councils.”

Samra said council has delivered on infrastructure and capital projects, had a balanced budget last year and completed planned asset management projects.

Nanaimo jointly built an artificial-turf field with School District 68, and came to an agreement to see a long-wanted hotel built at 100 Gordon St. A new operator for the Vancouver Island Conference Centre has come in and the city’s subsidy has been reduced, Samra said.

Meanwhile, Brad McRae, who served as Nanaimo’s chief operations officer, is no longer with the city. McKay would not comment, only saying that Wednesday was McRae’s final day.