On or about March 15th, 2023, the Integrity Commissioner for the Corporation of the City of North Bay received a complaint under the Code of Conduct. Acting Integrity Commissioner Nicole Singh was appointed to oversee the complaint. Through her investigation, Singh found that Councilor Sara Inch contravened the Code of Conduct and council had adequate reason to impose a penalty.
The cost for the Integrity Commissioners report was $36,486.12 out of a total city budget of $75,000 for investigations made by the Integrity Commissioner.
The penalty imposed by council on Councilor Sara Inch was 90 days without pay or in and around $6,000.
Here were the three allegations that were made against Councilor Sara Inch by Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield.
Specifically, the Complainant alleged that: a. During an email exchange regarding LGBTQ+ training, the Respondent emailed her on January 4, 2023 stating, among other things, “I doubt you'll agree with me. You are young and starting life. Give yourself 15—20 years and maybe you'll understand.” The Complainant took these comments to be ageist and discriminatory
(Allegation #1).
b. On February 25, 2023, the Respondent emailed her and other Council members regarding the appointment of Council members to the Chief Administrative Officer (“CAO”) hiring and selection committee. In this email, the Respondent stated, among other things, “leaving the selection of the new CAO to a new member of the community, someone else with long standing business ties in the community, and some who may be distracted by changes in their personal lives, all of whom may be unknowingly and unfairly influenced by the amount of time they are required to spend with staff, is something that needs correction.” [emphasis added to original] The Complainant alleged that the reference to “individuals distracted by changes in their personal lives” was, in part, in relation to the Complainant because she was pregnant at the time. The Complainant found the comment discriminatory on the basis of family status and pregnancy, as well as highly offensive and insulting
(Allegation #2).
9 c. On or around February 25, 2023, the Respondent publicly posted about Council’s budget process on her “Sara Inch City Councillor” Facebook page and stated, among other things, “When I accepted the role of vice chair for general governance I assumed I would be included in the process. Instead I had to make multiple requests of the mayor and chair (who I feel was taking direction here) and senior staff to get any kind of information.” The Complainant stated that the Respondent’s post included “false and unfounded statements about the Respondent’s “perceived beliefs” about the Complainant’s actions, which were “disparaging and misleading the public”
(Allegation #3).
Report to Council
https://pub-northbay.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=30389
Schedule A City of North Bay Acting Integrity Commissioner Nicole Singh
https://pub-northbay.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=30390