Accused in Chestermere city hall assault case pleads not guilty
The City of Chestermere staff member charged with assaulting another staff member entered a not guilty plea.
Kim Wallace, the City of Chestermere's director of corporate services, issued a statement saying her lawyer Alain Hepner entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf at Strathmore provincial court on March 21.
"Presumed Innocent ... I am innocent of the charge brought against me and I look forward to being able to clear my good name in court, before a judge, who will hear all the facts of the case. I have plead(ed) not guilty and await for the court date to be announced," Wallace said in her statement.
The charges stems from a Jan. 26 incident at Chestermere city hall that resulted in an RCMP investigation.
In her statement, Wallace highlighted section 11(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights, which, she said, "guarantees the right of any person charged with an offence to be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
"For those in our community, who have pre-judged me without knowing any of the facts, I remind them of what it means to be Canadian, to live in a country where we value our freedom and our rights," she said. "I have the right, just as we all do, to be presumed innocent. We all deserve the right to an unbiased opinion until the facts of a case are heard in a court of law.
"Spreading rumours and gossip only serves to harm, rather than build up our community. Chestermere is a beautiful place to live," she added. "We should not allow the toxicity created by lies and rumours to permeate our city.
"I ask all of us, no matter what the situation, wait until both sides are heard before forming an opinion of others.
"Let's work together to create a community we are proud of, where morals and values win over gossip and rumours."
Wallace is scheduled to appear in court on April 4.
STRING OF CONTROVERSIES
The assault accusation against Wallace is one in a string of controversies the City of Chestermere has found itself embroiled in, with three separate investigations launched in the past year.
Council voted to look into its own “irregular” finances last summer, hiring a third party to review $600,000 severance packages handed out to two former city employees.
The province also began looking into Chestermere’s governance after three councillors — Sandy Johal-Watt, Shannon Dean and Ritesh Narayan — sent complaints to the province in 2022 about the actions of Mayor Jeff Colvin, Deputy Mayor Mel Foat and councillors Stephen Hanley and Blaine Funk.
Council had also ordered another third-party investigation into its own utilities company, formerly known as Chestermere Utilities Inc., last year after audits found millions of dollars unaccounted for or missing.
An inspection by the department of municipal affairs in December was criticized by city hall according to the mayor, because the report possibly exposed what the investigation found.
Council sent it back to the province.
“Our goal with this inspection has always been to help Chestermere city council function properly in the service of Chestermere residents,” said Alex Puddifant, chief of staff for the office of the minister of municipal affairs."
Last week, Alberta's minister of municipal affairs Rebecca Schultz handed down a dozen directives to the City of Chestermere, after a third-party investigator found the city "is being managed improperly, irregularly and improvidently." Council and administration would risk losing their jobs if the directives are not followed.
With files from Tyson Fedor
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.