THUNDER BAY – The city and the integrity commissioner are one step away from working on finding sessions for council that will assist them in their capacity as elected officials.
Pending ratification at a future meeting, council voted unanimously Monday for both offices to find training that highlights harbouring collaborative relationships, emotional reasoning and conflict resolution.
Council asked for the clerk’s office to do this work late last month after amending the recommendation from their appointed integrity commissioner, Principle’s Integrity, to remove Coun. Rajni Agarwal from the Fort William Business Improvement Area board, also known as the Victoria BIA.
“We are looking at how members of council function within boards and committees as well as how they work together and manage conflict,” explained Krista Power, the city clerk.
“The cost of a half-day session would be covered through the city manager's budget.”
Power highlighted the cost savings by saying "may benefit not only Coun. Agarwal but all members of council. This could potentially lead to less complaints and perhaps fewer investigations and reports from the integrity commissioner. Those reports cost a significant amount of money, whereas training costs less.”
Power said the annual budget for Principles Integrity is $20,000.
The integrity commissioner’s investigation started in Oct. 2023 with a complaint alleging Agarwal was "rude, abrasive and chronically late for meetings, resulting in significant disruptions and causing delays.”
Coun. Agarwal has already been docked 30 days worth of pay in a separate finding by the integrity commissioner after she violated the code during a dispute with residents over the summer.
“I believe education is always beneficial,” Agarwal noted after the meeting on April 8.
“There has always been ongoing education in every other occupation that I have ever been in. I love education and taking courses, this exercise should be more robust for everybody. Learning opportunities don't hinder us, they only make us better.”
Westfort Ward Coun. Kristen Oliver is also in agreement with the training, especially after the tone of the meeting on March 25.
“I have some concerns recently with the decorum in the council chambers. This is an opportunity for us to step outside of city hall but still work together and get that education,” Oliver noted.
“I heard from a lot of constituents that were really concerned about our functionality. Working together doesn't mean that we have to agree on every single thing, but there needs to be respect and decorum, especially when we're in council chambers and we are working with our city administration.
"There is no reason for public shaming and some of the comments that were made hurt our credibility and question the integrity of not just our staff but this council as a whole.”
Dougall Media has reached out to Principles Integrity to clarify what their annual budget is.
We are also working on a follow up piece featuring Coun. Agarwal and her integrity commissioner’s complaints.
