The City of Ottawa's integrity commissioner is formally investigating complaints filed by a sixth woman over the behaviour of Coun. Rick Chiarelli, CBC News has learned. And while some of the allegations may sound familiar, they also include shocking new details.
A panel of judges has found that city council was biased against Coun. Rick Chiarelli and has thrown out council's decision to dock the College ward representative's salary for 270 days over his "sexist" and "disgraceful conduct," according to an Ontario Superior Court ruling released late Wednesday. And in the same decision, the judges themselves re-imposed the 270-day salary suspension.
Posted: May 26, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 26
Coun. Rick Chiarelli was allowed to participate in the discussion on the integrity commissioner s report about his misconduct in July 2020, but not vote. The councillor said at the time he was advised not to comment because of his legal challenge against the city.(Rogers TV broadcast of council)
Members of Ottawa city council are primarily elected officials who are expected to comment publicly on incidents like the allegations made against Rick Chiarelli, and doing so does not make them biased toward the College ward councillor, the city s lawyer told a judicial review panel Tuesday.
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Coun. Rick Chiarelli, currently working for free in the wake of a damning conduct probe into his alleged lewd behaviour, got his day in court on Tuesday when his lawyer tried to convince a three-judge panel that the integrity investigation was biased and should be quashed.
Bruce Sevigny, the lawyer representing Chiarelli, said the integrity investigation is unsalvageable because Mayor Jim Watson and other council members tainted the probe by speaking out against Chiarelli before the integrity commissioner finished an investigative report.
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A CBC investigation in the fall of 2019 spoke to many women who accused the councillor of inappropriate behaviour, and reported the experiences of eight of them. The women said they were asked questions, told stories and shown pictures they found inappropriate and sexual in nature.
Three female job applicants made official complaints to integrity commission Robert Marleau, who found in his July 2020 report that the councillor contravened the code of conduct and that his behaviour had been offensive and disreputable, qualifying as harassment under the city s policies.
Marleau recommended Chiarelli be docked nine months pay the most severe penalty available under law and council approved the recommendation.