Coun. Lavigne denies leaking confidential details
Motion to dock councillor’s pay fails to pass
Coun. Jason Lavigne says he didn’t leak any information and an integrity commissioner’s investigation was an attempt to discredit people who were against Amherstburg policing being taken over by Windsor Police.
The report by commissioner Bruce Elman concluded Lavigne had disclosed confidential information from an in-camera council meeting held on Sept. 10 to police board chairman Bob Rozankovic. Elman recommended a suspension of pay for 45 days but he suspected Lavigne would only lose 30 days’ pay — about $1,328 — because he wasn’t re-elected. Elman conducted an investigation into an alleged leak of information from an in-camera meeting that discussed the Jan. 1 takeover of policing by the Windsor police. Coun. Leo Meloche moved a motion on Monday to receive the report and that one month’s pay should be deducted from Lavigne — but the motion failed. Councillors Joan Courtney, Diane Pouget and Deputy Mayor Bart DiPasquale voted against the motion. Mayor Aldo DiCarlo wasn’t at the meeting and councillors Rick Fryer and Leo Meloche supported the motion. The last meeting of the old Amherstburg council was a testy meeting that was packed with spectators and people standing in the hallway.
In a written statement given to the media before his last meeting as a councillor, Lavigne said he wanted to “take the opportunity to set the record straight. At no time did I divulge any confidential material to (police board chairman) Bob Rozankovic.” Lavigne said the Amherstburg Police Services Board held an incamera meeting in August where it received information from Windsor police Chief Al Frederick. At a Sept. 10 council meeting, administration provided council with the confidential information from that in-camera meeting, Lavigne said. The next day he contacted the police board chair and told him the “confidential material relating to manpower (he was already aware of ) was shared with council.” Council should have never seen that information from the in-camera police board meeting, he said.
Lavigne said “the integrity commissioner investigation was designed to find me at fault from the start” and he decided it was best not to co-operate after seeing how a commissioner’s investigation was used against Windsor Coun. Rino Bortolin. He said there’s a reason these investigations are not usually done during elections, although he didn’t blame the investigation on his failure to regain his council seat.
“The entire situation that followed was an attempt to discredit myself and board chair Bob Rozankovic, and to distract the public from the facts surrounding the police deal with the City of Windsor,” Lavigne said.
Coun. Pouget said Coun. Lavigne was dictated by the Police Services Act to report it. She complained that both men were presumed guilty before the election. “This happened before the election, so what were their chances of getting in?” Rozankovic ran for deputy mayor but didn’t win. Rozankovic said he wouldn’t disclose the information came from Lavigne because of an advisory bulletin issued by Elman in June that talked about not disclosing information that would infringe on the rights of any person, such as the source of a complaint where the identity of the complainant is given in confidence.
The commissioner recommended that his report be referred to the new council and that the report “would strongly argue against his appointment” to any committees or boards. Rozankovic said before the meeting that he’ll seek legal advice and that Elman’s report “will be considered a defamation of my character in a public forum.” Elman also gave a report on Pouget, who he said used insulting words and failed to show respect for staff during in-camera meetings. He recommended she be asked to send a note of apology to CAO John Miceli. The report was received by council without a request for an apology.