Barrie’s integrity issues ‘relatively quiet’ last year

simcoe.com
Sept. 21, 2015
By Laurie Watt

Barrie integrity commissioner Suzanne Craig dealt mainly last year with concerns that councillors weren’t responding quickly enough to residents’ queries.

In her report on 2014, which councillors received this week, she noted the only formal investigation she conducted related to an influence case.

“The core issue brought out by the formal complaint was that municipal elected officials may not act in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to think that she/he would show favour towards someone or that she/he can be improperly influenced,” she said, citing council’s code of conduct section that requires councilors to consider “whether their relationships or affiliations could prevent him or her from acting fairly and objectively when performing their duties.”

Last summer, Craig found then-councillor Lynn Strachan acted improperly when she left her seat at the council table and went to answer questions on behalf of the Pathways to End Homelessness group. Strachan, who had been planning to run again in last October’s election, withdrew from the race but completed her term on council.

On the complaints about councillors’ perceived inaction, Craig told complainants that “often members of council either forwarded the residents’ queries to the appropriate staff for action or directed the requester to the department of the city most suited to address their issue.”

Craig is also the integrity commissioner for Vaughan, where veteran councillor Michael DiBiase was accused of influencing city staff.