Chestermere mayor slams what he calls false allegations made about staff abuse amid other investigations
Chestermere mayor slams what he calls false allegations made about staff abuse amid other investigations
Chestermere Mayor Jeff Colvin says people are pushing their own political agendas following an accusation that a city staffer slapped another employee.
“It seems that people are making up false rumours and it seems they have their own political agenda,” said Colvin in an interview with CTV News.
“Our council is looking into it though, because it’s our job to do that, but unfortunately we’re no strangers to people making wild goose chases.”
CTV News received several tips that an employee was slapped in public earlier this month by a staffer.
“It’s just not that serious,” said Colvin.
“We definitely want to from our side, and in discussing this with our HR department and staff, it’s not something that has gotten to that significance. Where we found the significance, is what’s been propagated from outside sources.”
The mayor says council will look into it.
The ministry of municipal affairs is also aware of the allegation.
It’s the latest issue in a series of missteps by the city as three separate investigations were launched last 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 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.
A provincial probe into code-of-conduct infractions against city council was also launched.
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.
“The department of municipal affairs has a process that is based on procedural fairness that we have been following and will continue to follow. We will be updating the citizens of Chestermere on the status of the inspection in the coming weeks, as the next step in this process.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote later today on the Conservative motion calling for a new study into foreign interference will not be a confidence vote.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just released a new report and its alarming conclusions are a must-read for anyone who cares about what kind of planet we’re going to leave to our kids, writes former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
A new report that looks at the prevalence of marketing to children inside grocery stores and restaurants suggests regulation is needed to help reduce unhealthy food temptations.
An Edmonton couple working to support first responders' mental health says the last few days have been very trying for local service members and their families.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
After a large fire spread from tents to a shuttered theatre on the city’s Downtown Eastside, Vancouver’s fire chief told reporters she was “incredibly frustrated” that more isn’t being done to prevent daily fires breaking out in the area.
Vancouver council will soon vote on a policy that could slow development in the Broadway Plan, one of the most significant long-term projects underway in the city.
New Brunswick's finance minister is scheduled to table a provincial budget Tuesday as the government grapples with problems in health care and housing and the effects of a population surge.
Two staff members and a student -- who is also the suspect -- have been injured in a stabbing at a high school in Bedford, N.S., according to the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE).
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Doctors, patients and advocates are uniting for a reminder to older British Columbians to request a free colon cancer screening test – as we mark National Colon Cancer Awareness month.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
A member of the city of Ottawa's board of health is speaking out about body shaming after receiving a letter that said she shouldn't serve on the board because of her weight.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Three misdemeanour charges were filed Monday against the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Danny Briere after a video posted on social media showed him and another Mercyhurst University athlete pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote later today on the Conservative motion calling for a new study into foreign interference will not be a confidence vote.
Mixed reviews continue to roll in days after Experience Regina delivered new campaign slogans that lean into the double entendre of the capital city’s name.
Saskatchewan RCMP said themselves and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) arrested and charged 138 motorists around the province under the criminal code for impaired driving in January and February.
