Chiarelli harassed and bullied female staff member, Ottawa's integrity commissioner finds

The city of Ottawa's integrity commissioner is calling on outgoing Coun. Rick Chiarelli to publicly apologize for the "harassment and bullying of a young female staff member", after investigating allegations of improper conduct towards a woman working in his office.

In a report for council, Integrity Commissioner Karen Shepherd finds Chiarelli violated the Code of Conduct for Members of Council for allegations that date back to 2013, and recommends a 90-day suspension of pay.

Councillors will debate the report's recommendations and possibly penalty during the final council meeting of the term on Wednesday, seven days before Chiarelli leaves Ottawa City Hall after representing his riding since amalgamation.

Shepherd says she received a formal complaint regarding the conduct of Chiarelli from a former employee in the College Ward councillor's office on Jan. 25, 2022. An independent investigator was hired to conduct interviews and review documentary evidence.

The integrity commissioner says she substantiated two allegations made by the former staffer in Chiarelli's office.

Allegation:

"On the evening of Sunday, September 13, 2013, [sic] Councillor Rick Chiarelli (my employer at the time) provided me with a sheer and revealing shirt, which he requested that I wear to an event that evening at the International Animation Film Festival. Furthermore, he expected me to change my attire in his car while in his presence," the complainant told the commissioner.

Allegation:

"In the Fall of 2014, Councillor Rick Chiarelli (my employer at the time) offered to pay me between $200-$300 in cash to perform sexual acts on random men that I was instructed to find at nightclubs in Montreal. Mr. Chiarelli planned these trips and drove me to an[d] from Montreal on several occasions to meet men at night clubs," the former staffer said.

Chiarelli denied both allegations in interviews with the investigator.

Shepherd says Chiarelli provided his response to the formal complaint on April 26, and investigators interviewed the councillor in May and in June. A family member attended the interviews with the investigator, according to the commissioner.

The complainant made two other allegations against Chiarelli, but the integrity commissioner says those allegations could not be substantiated. A fifth allegation made by the woman was outside the commissioner's jurisdiction because it occurred before the Council Code of Conduct came into effect in July 2013.

"I have found that the Respondent breached Sections 4 and 7 of the Code of Conduct. I have found that the Respondent’s actions in respect of the allegations constituted harassment and bullying of a young female staff member," Shepherd said in her report for council.

"I have also found that the Respondent knowingly and continuously exploited the power dynamic of the employer/employee relationship. The Respondent should have known that his behaviour was inappropriate and unwelcome."

Section 4 of the code of conduct is related to general integrity, while Section 7 is for discrimination and harassment.

Shepherd recommends council receive the report that finds Chiarelli contravened two sections of the code of conduct, suspend the councillor's pay for 90 days and require he make a written or verbal public apology.

The report was filed with the city clerk on Aug. 18, 2022, but staff say the integrity commissioner could not report to council until after the election.

Council previously found Chiarelli guilty of violating the Code of Conduct for Councillors following two separate integrity commissioner's reports into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women who worked in his office or had interviewed for a position in his office. Council voted to suspend his pay for 450 days as a result of the findings.

Late last year, the Ontario Superior Court dismissed Chiarelli's request for a judicial review of the integrity commissioner’s findings of misconduct against him.

CTV News Ottawa reached out to Chiarelli's office Friday evening for comment on the integrity commissioner's report.  There was no response from the councillor's office as of Saturday morning.

Chiarelli did not seek re-election in the Oct. 24 municipal election after serving as the ward's only councillor since amalgamation.

"Thank you for the honour of being your elected representative for the last 30+ years," Chiarelli said in a statement on his website Friday.

"My wife, my daughters and I will miss the interactions in the formal role of a city councillor but right now, my health has to be my first priority. However, the passion I have for our community and city means that a time will come when, God willing, I will again step forward to work formally on your behalf."

To read the integrity commissioner's report, click here.