‘Chiarelli survivors’ launch petition demanding changes to Municipal Act
Posted Mar 4, 2021 03:03:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A group of local women is pushing for changes to the Municipal Act, after their experiences working for College Ward City Councillor Rick Chiarelli.
To mark 'World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation' on Thursday, March 4, the group of 'Chiarelli survivors' have launched a petition calling for the modernization of the act.
In a two-part report released in 2020, Ottawa's Integrity Commissioner said Chiarelli committed repeated acts of sexual misconduct against female staff. Although the Integrity Commissioner recommended the harshest penalties available, Rick Chiarelli is still the elected representative for College Ward in the City of Ottawa.
“The reason that we're launching the petition to modernize the Municipal Act, is because there isn't a way currently to have a politician unseated for egregious behaviour,' says Nancy O'Brien, a former employee of Rick Chiarelli who is spearheading the petition.
While there are protections in place for abuse related to finances and employment through the Municipal Elections Act, O'Brien says there is no mechanism to unseat a politician for abusing their position by exploiting people for personal gain or for protecting women from being sexually harassed or assaulted.
“There are mechanisms in place, that don't involve an election, to have a politician unseated through conflict of interest or if they don't show up for three months in a row,” O'Brien says. “So, what we're asking is for the provincial government to take a look at the infrastructure that already exists, and amend it so that egregious behaviour is also taken into consideration.”
The group of survivors is asking the public to download a copy of the petition, print it off, have those in their designated COVID-19 bubble sign it, and then mail the signed document to the following address by April 8, 2021:
Modernize the Municipal Act
1363 Woodroffe Ave, Unit B
PO Box 33047
Ottawa, ON
K2C 3Y9
There is also an email template available that the public can use and then send to their local MPP, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steven Clark, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“I personally don't believe it's fair that our legislators, the people that are creating our policies and our laws, are held to a lower account than people in the real world,” O'Brien says. “They should be held to a higher account. They have the public's trust, and when that trust is broken, there should be a mechanism in place for them to lose the privilege of their power.”
Chiarelli, meanwhile, continues to deny all allegations against him and has refrained from commenting on the situation.
