Integrity commissioner investigations to be launched

Luke Edwards

Advocate Correspondent

Photos of confidential documents that appeared on Facebook earlier this year were not leaked by a Norfolk County staff or council member, a joint investigation launched by Norfolk and Haldimand County has found.

CAOs for both municipalities agreed to launch the third party investigation after it came to the attention of Haldimand County CAO Cathy Case that the documents were posted to a Facebook group page in late February during the provincial election.

The original Facebook post said it was a Norfolk staffer who leaked the documents. The investigator concluded that was not the case.

“The emails were printed by someone from Haldimand County,” a report by the investigator said.

Martin thanked both Case and Norfolk CAO Al Meneses for launching the investigation.

“In an era of strong mayor powers you both had the courage to do what is right to ensure the integrity of our municipal corporation was maintained regardless of what those findings may be,” said Martin.

From the start, Martin said she was confident Norfolk staff had acted responsibly.

“I never had a doubt and I want to thank our staff for their dedication and commitment,” she said.

In Haldimand, meanwhile, councillors there voted to request an integrity commissioner investigation based on what the initial investigation revealed. The integrity commissioner reviews code of conduct complaints against members of council, in this case the focus will be on Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley.

The initial investigation concluded the documents were printed by Kendle Columbus, Bentley’s assistant.

However, it failed to conclude several relevant questions, including: why Bentley asked for the documents to be printed; with whom, if anyone, she shared the documents; who took the photos of the documents that ultimately appeared on Facebook; whether they were leaked intentionally or accidentally; and who else had the documents between the time she had them printed until they appeared on Facebook.

According to the investigation, Bentley hired a lawyer and refused to answer questions after requesting the results of the interviews so far and a list of intended questions. 

Kendle Columbus told the investigator she came forward and volunteered the information so that it wouldn’t look like she had anything to hide.

The social media post included documents that had to do with the merger of health units for Haldimand-Norfolk with Brant County. That merger was approved by all parties late last year, though those involved said the closed-door discussions leading up to the decision were at times contentious. 

The February post seemed to be an attempt to paint Martin as having little to no regard for the people of Haldimand, with Meneses saying it included the headline: ‘Norfolk County staffer proving Amy Martin’s disdain for Haldimand County.’

Meneses said his focus throughout remained not on the content of the post but on the potential breach.

“To be clear Norfolk’s concern and my concern with regards to this confidentiality breach focused on the source of this leak,” he said.

“There are clues in the emails which assist in determining where they were printed. The emails were printed by someone from Haldimand County… As such I feel confident that neither Norfolk County staff nor Norfolk elected officials were responsible for the confidentiality breach.”

Those clues included external email warnings at the bottom of email forwards, and interviews with involved parties.

Some in Haldimand weren’t so sure, with new councillor Brad Adams suggesting he thought the investigator’s report was slanted. It was a sentiment not shared by lawyer Woody McKaig, who gave an overview of the investigation to Haldimand councillors at a May 20 meeting.

As for the original Facebook post itself, Martin didn’t mince words.

“This wasn’t just a misstep, it was a calculated political tactic. The document was stripped of context, shared online anonymously and aimed at inciting public distrust,” she said. “All of it built on a lie and designed to cast suspicions and sway voters at the expense of the integrity of Norfolk County as a corporation.”

Martin went on to say she never shirked her responsibility to Haldimand while chair of the Board of Health.

“Any insinuation that I wasn’t looking out for Haldimand is unfounded.”

Norfolk councillors also voted to engage the integrity commissioner, a move Martin similarly supported.

“Council should stand fully behind endorsing an integrity commissioner investigation to defend our corporation, to defend our staff and to defend our institution that is local governance, which is closest to the people,” she said.