November 2, 2011
Townships express
"regret"
by Kay McQuade
Council of the townships of Head, Clara, Maria says it “regrets any
hardship” it may have caused its municipal clerk.
The almost-apology is included in the official resolutions arising from
the closed session at the October 21 HCM council meeting.
The minutes of that meeting are now available to the public on the HCM
website.
As reported in the NRT last week, the closed session concerned a number
of harassment complaints filed by township clerk Melinda Reith against
the entire council, Reeve Tammy Lea Stewart, and two ratepayers,
Clayton McKechnie and Wayne Clouthier.
Reith maintained in her complaint that council, during its meeting of
October 7, was guilty of failing to “provide and maintain a working
environment that is based on the dignity and rights of everyone in the
municipality.”
Her complaint also said council failed to provide “a healthy and safe
work environment that is free of any form of harassment or violence.”
Her complaint was filed under the townships' “Municipal Policy on
Harassment and Workplace Violence.”
In a recorded vote carried by a 3-2 margin, council agreed that “an
atmosphere of condemnation and mistrust has been created by several
members of our community with respect to the municipal clerk,” and that
“this atmosphere is eroding community cohesiveness and is upsetting
many volunteers and members of our community.”
Council resolved to publish an ad, which appears in this issue of the
NRT, acknowledging that “false accusations have been made” against
Reith and expressing “regret for any hardship which may have been
caused by its inaction.”
Reith also asked council to “authorize the municipal solicitor to
commence legal proceedings against Mr. McKechnie” on her behalf “if it
is in the opinion of the municipal solicitor that such action is
warranted.”
This request spurred considerable discussion by council during the
October 21 meeting.
Councillor Ed Aiston said he “was less enthusiastic about that element
of the resolution.”
He was “less than happy to refer the matter to the solicitor” due to
the costs involved when the “bill is unknown.”
Reeve Stewart and Councillor Bob Reid agreed with Aiston’s comments and
Councillor Dave Foote wondered if legal action could be “very costly to
the township.”
In the end the motion to authorize legal proceedings was defeated by a
3-2 margin.
Concerning the clerk’s complaint against Clayton McKechnie, Reith
maintained that McKechnie “conducted himself in an inappropriate manner
during his presentation to council” on October 7.
McKechnie appeared before council during that meeting to make a
presentation on the townships' decision to withdraw from the joint area
auto extrication agreement.
The meeting was reported in the NRT October 12.
Council agreed in a 4-1 recorded vote to “forward a letter to Mr.
McKechnie signed by the reeve explaining that: although council
welcomes deputations it must not and will not in the future accept
aggressive behaviour or verbal abuse directed towards any member of
council or any staff.”
The motion goes on to say “that any future deputation must follow the
content of the document provided to council five days prior to the
deputation and not contain new information or accusations.”
It also states that, “in the future Mr. McKechnie (must) use the proper
process available to him and any other individual to make a code of
conduct complaint against any member of council or municipal employee
through the municipal code of conduct policy and complaint form.”
The motions associated with other two harassment complaints raised by
the clerk against Reeve Stewart and HCM resident Wayne Clouthier were
defeated.
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