Regional Chair Alan Caslin has confirmed to CKTB news that the special meeting of Regional Council set for next Thursday at 5:30 p.m. is not in response to a petition made by a majority of council members.
In an email this morning, Caslin says he's called a special meeting to be held in order to receive an update on the investigation approved at the July 26th meeting and to receive legal advice on the CAO's contract.
The investigation he references is the second investigation into the CAO hiring process being done internally and is to address concerns raised about digital evidence.
On Sunday, St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik sent a petition to the regional clerk's office, signed by 18 of 31 councillors requesting a special meeting to address the ongoing concerns about that investigation and for council to take control of the situation.
The clerk has 48 hours to call the meeting.
Caslin says his meeting is unrelated to the petition from a majority of council.
He says their meeting request is based on " narrow, misleading and inaccurate leaks of a portion of the confidential discussion held on July 26, 2018" and reeks of political opportunism.
Below is full text from chair Alan Caslin
As Regional Chair under Niagara Region’s procedural bylaw I have the ability to call special meetings of Council. This includes setting the date, time and location of the meeting. For regularly scheduled meetings of Regional Council, Regional Council adopts a meeting schedule which in turn the Regional Clerk facilitates.
With respect to the petition you reference, should a majority of Regional Council wish to schedule a meeting in this fashion they are entitled to do so. The petition you reference is being reviewed by the Regional Clerk at this time; however, I note that the petition does not include a specific date, time or location for the special meeting and as such it is outside the Regional Clerk’s purview to determine these particulars.
While I personally believe a calling of a meeting by a majority of Regional Council based on a narrow, misleading and inaccurate leak of a portion of the confidential discussion held on July 26, 2018, despite these same Regional Councillors having already reached a decision after over 2 hours of discussion reeks of political opportunism, I have responded as Head of Council with a proposed special meeting to deal with this matter.
Lastly, the meeting I have called provides notice for all of Regional Council. I understand the petition you reference was not made available to all Regional Councillors.
Councillors in the petition had requested the Chair to call a meeting on the weekend however in an email response Caslin refused.
below is full text of email from chair Alan Caslin
Councillors - You all had 2 hours last meeting to speak candidly to Carm. You grilled him for the entire time and agreed on a course of action in open session. To ask for another meeting less than two weeks later is nothing less than disingenuous politicking by the same few characters who have contributed the least this term of council. I encourage you to focus on the important community issues before us including : lowering taxes and bring quality jobs to Niagara. I will not be calling another meeting to talk about the same tabloid stories that have already been thoroughly investigated and decided upon by a third party investigation that has cost the Taxpayers of Niagara dearly.