Downtown councillor Rino Bortolin was on the hot seat at Windsor City Hall Monday night after fellow Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac requested a formal investigation into comments he made in the media a few weeks ago.
Gignac tabled a notice of motion for the integrity commissioner to investigate Coun. Bortolin’s code of conduct after comments he made in an Oct. 18 article in the Windsor Star, where the councillor said, “there is no money for a $3,000 alley light where that person got beat up and raped last week.”
“The allegation of a rape and whether or not our priorities here in the City of Windsor here in this chamber are mixed up, that we don’t take safety seriously in our community was very concerning to me,” said Gignac, noting she was quite taken by surprise when she read her colleague’s comments in the newspaper. “And as a woman, the issue of rape resounds especially with me.”
Bortolin made the comments in a reaction piece published in the Star regarding some of the spending decisions made by council, including a multi-million dollar expenditure for a holiday lights show and $750,000 to refurbish an historic streetcar. He said he was trying to get across how difficult it is to go to residents and explain the spending decisions of council while alleyways remain unlit and continue to be a potential haven for criminal behaviour.
Gignac took exception to the conduct of her colleague, requesting a code of conduct ruling from an independent third party.
“In this instance, where a rape was alleged when it was followed up with the chief of police, and there was no indication that incident had ever occurred, it’s just wrong,” Gignac said.
Bortolin apologized for the comments the day after the article was published, and was somewhat surprised the matter has escalated to the office of the integrity commissioner.
“They’re regrettable comments, for sure. I think there was the context of encapsulating the frustration that people feel in that neighbourhood, which I will continue to advocate for,” he said.
“I don’t want to diminish the meaning of that word and don’t want to take that sort of heft behind that word for granted and I would never have wanted to offend anybody with that use of the word,” Bortolin said.
Council approved the process and the city’s integrity commissioner, Bruce Elman will now handle the investigation.
“This body is not going to decide whether there was a violation of the code of conduct,” said mayor Drew Dilkens. “The integrity commissioner will review all of this and determine whether or not there was a violation.”
"I do respect the process, and I will let it work its course, obviously,” said Bortolin.
Mayor Dilkens said he shares the same concern as Coun. Gignac and is eager for a timely report from Elman.
“Any sense that’s left in the minds of the public that somehow their city is unsafe, when that concern is not based in fact causes me concern as the chair of the police services board, as the mayor,” Dilkens said.
Coun. Bortolin says he will continue to advocate for the residents of downtown Windsor around the issues of public safety.
“The safety and security issues are not simply a perception issue. Those happen every day. But at the end of the day, those comments were inappropriate, and I apologize for them, and if need be, by the integrity commissioner, I will do again,” said Bortolin.
