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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.