As London city council weighs Stevenson reprimand, OEV comes to ...

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Dec 17, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

An integrity commissioner's report recommending Coun. Susan Stevenson is to be docked 30 days' pay lands in the lap of her colleagues on Tuesday and comes at a time when some are calling for tougher penalties for cases of repeat councillor misconduct. 

The report also hits the council table as many people in Steven's Ward 4 come to her defence. 

On Friday, the city's integrity commissioner released its report in response to a complaint filed against Stevenson by Kevin Dickins, London's deputy city manager for social and health development.

The complaint followed a post Stevenson made on April 29 on X, formerly Twitter. In that post, she quoted two lines from a news article attributed to Dickins while questioning the city's strategy to support and address homeless encampments. The post used block letters and emojis that appear to convey frustration or disbelief. 

Dickins emailed Stevenson, asking her to refrain from using his name in her social media posts. Stevenson told the integrity commissioner she intended no disrespect and was simply pointing to Dickins's comments in a news article. 

However, the integrity commissioner's report found that her post and other comments about city staff "constitutes harassment, bullying and targeting" in contravention of the city's Code of Conduct.

The report also said Stevenson's post went beyond simply reporting Dickins's public comments but amounted to "editorializing" with the use of the emojis.

Her past behaviour — Stevenson was reprimanded before for social media posts — led the integrity commissioner to conclude that a "meaningful sanction" was the correct punishment. 

"We are not inclined to believe that training would bring about meaningful change in the councillor's behaviour," the report said.

London city councillors earned $65,137 last year, which means a 30-day docking of pay would cost Stevenson about $5,400. She would still continue to be a voting member of city council.

Despite running into trouble with the integrity commissioner a second time, many are speaking out in support of Stevenson. Some who spoke to CBC News see her as a badly needed advocate for Old East Village (OEV), a London neighbourhood that has faced a disproportionate amount of the fallout from homelessness and illegal drug use.

Kevin Morrison, general manager of the OEV Business Improvement Area, said the integrity commissioner's report amounts to "a lot of nonsense."

"You know what? She's a fighter, and there's a lot of people who agree with her," he said. "I really don't think she's crossed a line." 

Christeen Forster is a London resident whose daughter lives in OEV. She said Stevenson should be allowed to speak out if she doesn't agree with the city's approach to the problem. 

"I think it's ridiculous," said Forster of the integrity commissioner's recommendation.  "I don't understand how asking someone to be accountable for doing their job is considered bullying. It's just a blatant attack on freedom of speech and freedom of inquiry."

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward chairs Ontario's big-city mayor's caucus and supports tougher penalties for councillors who repeatedly violate their city's codes of conduct. 

While not commenting on the Stevenson situation, Meed Ward said elected officials can, under current rules, get away with conduct that would get them fired if they were hired employees. 

"There needs to be the ultimate penalty available," said Meed Ward. "It could be that just the fact that it exists could be a deterrent to some people." 

Andrew Sancton, professor emeritus and former director of the Local Government Program at the University of Western Ontario, said he doesn't envy the councillors who have to vote on Stevenson's fate. 

"They have to weigh the freedom of speech aspect against the requirement to not treat staff in a disparaging way, so I think they're in a tough position," he said.

Councillors will discuss the integrity commissioner's report when they meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday.