Integrity commissioner complaint against Gale formally withdrawn

His resignation ended any chance of an investigation, but Fort Erie council voted on March 23 to formally withdraw the integrity commissioner complaint against former regional chair Bob Gale.

They initially voted to have Mayor Wayne Redekop lodge a code of conduct complaint against Gale during a February 23 meeting. That decision came as Gale made a presentation to Fort Erie council in favour of amalgating Niagara into either one or four municipalities.

Gale’s presentation and answers to councillor questions were not well received at the time.

However, after Gale resigned from his post following revelations that he owned a signed copy of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto, he was no longer subject to discipline under the code of conduct.

Redekop said he’d spoken with the integrity commissioner, who assured him that as a result of Gale’s resignation he was no longer a regional councillor and thus could not be disciplined.

Still, one councillor still offered a parting shot. Nick Dubanow called it a fiasco and remained disappointed in the former chair’s behaviour.

“It’s just unfortunate this went down the way it did,” he said, adding there could have been a better outcome and he hopes this doesn’t spell the end of regional government reform discussions.

Taking a more positive note, Dubanow also suggested the beauty of municipal government in Ontario, when it’s working as it should, is that it avoids the pitfalls of party politics we can often see at Queen’s Park or on Parliament Hill.

“One of the great, amazing things about municipal government in Ontario is that it’s collaborative,” he said. And even if they don’t always agree, he said it’s a breath of fresh air from the politics of two opposing sides constantly at each other’s throats.

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