An investigation into Amherstburg's council over an alleged leak of sensitive information is now underway.
The town's clerk confirmed Monday evening that integrity commissioner, Bruce Elman, has commenced his investigation, which begins with a transcript of an in-camera meeting that took place on Sept. 10, 2018.
It's alleged the details of that meeting – regarding the highly contentious dismantling of Amherstburg's local police service and the transition to Windsor police – were leaked to people not privy to the information.
“That I think is going to be a big problem for us, and I fully expect that the integrity commissioner is going clarify all that in his report,” said Amherstburg mayor, Aldo DiCarlo.
In a special meeting last week, Amherstburg council decided to ask the integrity commissioner to launch a formal investigation to determine who allegedly breached confidentiality.
Mayor DiCarlo says Elman is free to investigate and release his findings even during election season.
"With all the things going on, especially because it may affect the police negotiations and the committee make up, as was raised at that meeting, the sooner the better,” said DiCarlo. “He should be able to do it as soon as possible, he's committed to that."
Bob Rozankovic, the Amherstburg police board chair, claims sensitive information was leaked to him after the Sept. 10 in-camera meeting. Rozankovic told CTV News last week that he plans to fully cooperate with the integrity commissioner during the investigation.
At the same time, DiCarlo is seeking an independent investigator to look into members of administration during a parallel investigation. He says he’s looking for someone as neutral as possible, but recognizes it may all be for naught.
“Quite frankly, if the integrity commissioner’s report comes back as quickly as most people expect it to, since the chair did say he’d tell him who it was, I think it’s going to become clear if it wasn’t from administration,” said DiCarlo. “I’m not sure how much money we want to spend for an investigation we may not have to do.”
Elman’s investigation will cost the town $300 per hour and there’s no indication of how long the probe may take.
