Residents of Manitoba town question lack of details regarding mayor’s suspension

Residents are calling for more transparency after Gimli’s mayor was suspended for a week following a misconduct investigation. CTV’s Harrison Shin explains.

Speculations hit a coffee shop in Gimli as residents tried to find out the reason for Mayor Kevin Chudd’s temporary suspension.

Last Friday, the Rural Municipality of Gimli announced that Chudd would be suspended from all mayoral duties from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, but provided limited details.

“I feel like there are a lot of things going on here that I’ve questioned and never got answers for,” Gimli resident Debbie Fakes told CTV News on Monday.

Fakes has lived in Gimli for the last nine years and said it’s hard to find out if the sanctions fit the allegation.

“We don’t know what he has done, and we don’t know who came up with this week thing,” she said.

“Everybody is assuming all kinds of different things. If we definitely knew, people would know. But because of (the withholding of information), people are saying, ‘Could be this, could be that,’” said Daphne Markusson. “It’s kind of upsetting that we don’t really know what circumstance happened.

The Chief Administrative Officer of the RM of Gimli, DJ Sigmurdson, was not available for an interview but responded to CTV News via email.

“No details about complainants or complaints can be disclosed under provincial confidentiality rules,” Sigmurdson said in part.

CTV News asked which provincial law requires the confidentiality and was told it was “Manitoba’s Council Members’ Codes of Conduct Regulation,” under The Municipal Act.

“(The regulation) requires investigator reports, evidence, and findings to remain confidential except for what Council is permitted to disclose. This protects complainants, witnesses, and the integrity of the process.”