Amherstburg's integrity commissioner has cleared the town's deputy mayor and a councillor of any wrongdoing following a conflict-of-interest complaint related to a council vote involving the town's chamber of commerce.
Complaint Dismissed as Frivolous
A report from Principles Integrity found that Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb and Councillor Linden Crain did not have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest when council discussed and approved a $500 contribution toward the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce's 21st Annual Business Excellence Awards during a regular council meeting on Feb. 9.
The complaint alleged that the two politicians should have declared conflicts of interest and refrained from discussing and voting on the matter due to their connections to the chamber, including business and employment ties. According to the report, Gibb's business is a member of the chamber, while Crain's employer also belongs to the organization.
Commissioner's Findings
However, the commissioner determined those relationships were too remote to constitute a conflict under Ontario's Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The final report stated, "there is nothing to indicate" that the councillors had "competing interests or loyalties in the matter."
The document also found that neither Gibb nor Crain currently sits on the chamber's board of directors or participates in the awards nomination or selection process. Both previously served on the board before resigning after being elected to council in 2022.
The report noted that the sponsorship opportunity was distributed broadly to chamber members and was publicly available, and that the Town of Amherstburg has sponsored the annual business awards for several years.
Crain's Response
Crain pushed back on the complaint, calling it "frivolous in nature" and "really have no merit." He told the Star, "It wasn't too clear on what the investigation was about. Unfortunately, every time there's an investigation, it does cost taxpayers upwards of $1,000 for this investigation."
While acknowledging the role of the integrity commissioner process, Crain said he welcomed the findings. "I respect the process. This shows exactly why we have an integrity commissioner and a third party independent legal counsel to look into issues like this. I always want to make sure, and I have from the very beginning, that I'm leading with integrity and transparency, so I felt it was necessary to share this, share the findings."
The integrity commissioner concluded that no breach of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act or the town's code of conduct occurred and said the matter is now closed.
