Eight months after a Niagara reporter had his computer and notebook seized at a council meeting the Ontario Ombudsman has released its report.
The report is called 'Press Pause' and it investigates and offers recommendations following the December 7th incident.
It was at that meeting St. Catharines Standard journalist Bill Sawchuk and a local blogger Preston Haskell were accused of recording a closed door meeting of council.
That's when police were called in, Sawchuk's laptop and notes were seized, and he was told to leave regional headquarters.
The incident caused an uproar with journalists across Canada with many taking interest in the story.
The Ontario watchdog released its report at 9:30 a.m. today.
Ombudsman Paul Dube joined CKTB's Matt Holmes this afternoon calling the December meeting incident 'unreasonable' 'unjust' and 'wrong'.
Dube says the region didn't have rules and a playbook to follow in this case and it was a lack of policies and procedures that led to the controversial action taken against Sawchuk.
He says it was an infringement of the journalist's rights and he recommends that the region offer a public apology to Sawchuk and Haskell.
He says the Ombudsman offered a preliminary report to the Niagara Region, but they didn't receive a response.
Dube says normally a response is offered and recommendations are accepted.
It's also a chance for the region to offer a written response that would then be included in the final version of the report.
Dube says in this case they didn't receive anything and he says it's really exceptional.
He says regional council hired a law firm instead of dealing with the Ombudsman directly.
Dube says over time the lawyers became difficult to communicate with, and they even contested the Ombudsman's authority to do the investigation and challenged the findings.
He says he is looking forward to hearing what the Region has to say about the report and whether it will follow through with recommendations.
You can listen to the interview by clicking here.
The Region sent out a media release to various media agencies, including CKTB, at 11:30am today saying they cooperated fully in the Ombudsman's investigation and has already made strides to fulfill the recommendations.
Regional Chair Alan Caslin joined CKTB's Lee Sterry this afternoon commenting on the report.
He says the lawyer was hired by the Niagara Region as a corporation to ensure due process was followed.
Caslin says legal counsel was looking out for the best interests of the region and if lawyers overstepped their boundaries, he's "not sure".
He says a council meeting has already been scheduled for next Thursday at 4:30pm to review and receive the report.
Caslin says this is a learning experience for the region.
He says many of the recommendations have already been addressed and he is prepared to make a public apology to both Sawchuk and Haskell.
We asked Caslin if he thinks the report will impact his run for the regional chair position in the October municipal election, he says the voters are never wrong and they will make the right decision at the end of the day.
Editor-in-Chief of the Niagara Metroland papers Angus Scott provided CKTB with the following statement:
I’m pleased with the report released by Ombudsman Paul Dube today. His office has done a thorough job investigating what transpired on the night of Dec. 7 in the regional council chambers. He has clearly determined that the seizure of personal property from Standard reporter Bill Sawchuk, including his laptop, and his ejection from the regional administration building, was illegal and a violation of a reporter’s and citizen’s rights as defined by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the law.
The 14 recommendations contained in the report are well thought out and should be implemented as followups to what the Region has already done to improve its policies and bylaws.
In particular, I feel apologies are still owed to Bill and to blogger Preston Haskell, as the Ombudsman suggests.
In December we asked the Region to proffer a public apology to Bill, during a televised council meeting. At the time, the Region’s legal counsel informed us the municipality declined to do so, citing the ongoing Ombudsman’s investigation as its excuse. I do hope that this report will spur the chair to offer that well deserved apology to a reporter whose reputation and professionalism were called into question by the Region’s rush to judgment.
To read the full Ombudsman's report, click here.
To read the release from the Region, click here.
St. Catharines Standard reporter Grant LaFleche will join CKTB's Larry Fedoruk today at 4:45pm, and Bill Sawchuk will join Niagara in the Morning with Tim Denis tomorrow at 8:20am.