By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Nanaimo Council directs training, recommends apology after censure hearings

Jan 9, 2018 | 9:35 PM

Nanaimo councillors have passed judgement on their peers, calling for the mayor and a councillor to take training courses and issue apologies.

Council announced their decision in a late Tuesday evening news release posted on the City’s website. It said Council “disapproves” of mayor Bill McKay and coun. Diane Brennan’s “disrespectful conduct towards the complainant.”

A censure hearing was held in-camera on Monday for McKay and Brennan related to allegations of bullying and harassment leveled by chief administrative officer Tracy Samra.

Council “directed” both McKay and Brennan to take training courses and “recommends” they apologize to Samra in writing by no later than Jan. 30.

“Failure to comply may result in future sanctions,” the release said.

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Neither McKay nor Brennan attended Monday’s closed meeting. The release did not reference how the votes fell.

The release said Council “accepts the findings of the Goldner Report,” issued by Vancouver labour lawyer Roslyn Goldner in July of last year. Goldner was hired to investigate Samra’s allegations.

The report has not been made public and the City denied a Freedom of Information request filed by NanaimoNewsNOW asking for its findings.

A copy was provided to the Globe and Mail. In an August article, it said the report stopped short of finding the bullying and harassment alleged by Samra had occurred. The behaviour “is more aptly characterized as uncivil workplace conduct,” the report said.

However, the report did say the mayor, in his role as chair of meetings, “requires training and support in the management of emotional outbursts and disrespectful conduct.”

Earlier Tuesday, the City declined a request from NanaimoNewsNOW asking how much was spent on legal fees related to the censure processes.

“We do not release the amount of legal fees associated with individual legal claims or processes,” the City said in an emailed response.

McKay said he would not comment on Tuesday’s release until he spoke with his lawyer. Brennan said she would comment following another scheduled censure hearing on Wednesday.

McKay is also scheduled to face another censure hearing, on Monday. Council has three in-camera meetings scheduled between Wednesday and Monday.

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Note to readers: This story was updated to include comment from coun. Brennan.