‘People are feeling awkward and uncomfortable:’ Ottawa council puts Chiarelli sick leave request on hold

Councillor Rick Chiarelli will have to wait before being placed on medical leave, as his fellow councillors refused to accept his request.

A Wednesday's city council meeting, councillors tabled the medical leave of absence request. The move essentially pushes the issue forward to a future city council meeting, where it will be up for debate.

City Clerk Rick O'Connor told 1310 NEWS that in all his years, he's always seen these types of requests pass unanimously. He cited the most recent request from Diane Deans, as she battles ovarian cancer, but also noted requests from former councillors Jody Mitic, Marianne Wilkinson and Shawn Little.

Mayor Jim Watson explained that it may have something to do with the Integrity Commissioner's investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

“People are feeling awkward and uncomfortable because of the allegations and the severity of the allegations against councillor Chiarelli.”

Council did approve allowing councillors Allan Hubley and Scott Moffatt to step in and help out the residents of College ward, if needed. But Hubley has no idea how long that will last.

“Nobody talked to me about any end date to this, or any indication that anybody even knows an end date,” he added.

Councillor Rick Chiarelli issued a statement on Tuesday regarding his health, asking for a medical leave of absence. He claimed that he was rushed to hospital on August 14 for an undisclosed medical issue and was too sick to formally request the leave any earlier.

The College ward councillor also admitted that he flew to Prague on August 16 for a family vacation. In a statement Wednesday, Chiarelli said that his doctors told him it would be more beneficial to go on vacation than to stay at home, alone.