Peace bond sought against Nanaimo’s chief administrator
An application for a court to order a peace bond against Tracy Samra, Nanaimo’s chief administrative officer, was sworn by RCMP on Wednesday.
This is not a charge under the Criminal Code.
The court document outlining the application states that Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay and councillors Sheryl Armstrong and Dianne Brennan, city staff Sheila Gurrie, Jan Kemp and Donna Stennes, former municipal employees Brad McRae and Kim Fowler, and online journalist Dominic Jones have “reasonable grounds to fear” that Samra will cause personal injury to them, based on a Jan. 31 incident in Nanaimo. It does not describe the incident.
A court date was set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Nanaimo.
If a peace bond is granted by a judge, certain conditions might be imposed on the defendant, Canada’s Department of Justice website says. Peace bonds can be in place for up to one year and can be renewed if concerns persist, it says.
Samra has been on leave from her job in Nanaimo. She was hired as acting chief administrative officer in 2015 and was subsequently appointed to that position.
Robert Mulligan, Samra’s lawyer, said he will seek to adjourn the case before Tuesday in order to obtain police reports and statements. He will assess those documents, review them with his client, and have discussions with a special prosecutor.
“Then we would settle on the course of the case,” he said.
That could include agreeing to an application or setting the case for a hearing to determine whether there is a proper basis for such a bond. That process would likely take a minimum of a few weeks, he said.
On Feb. 2, a special prosecutor was appointed in relation to alleged threats at Nanaimo City Hall.
Assistant deputy attorney general Peter Juk appointed Michael Klein as special prosecutor “shortly after an individual was arrested as a result of the incidents,” said a statement from the B.C. Prosecution Service. The individual was not identified in the statement.