For inaccurately claiming in a radio interview that complainants filed “tampered evidence” against him with the city, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc broke the city’s Code of Conduct.
So concludes city integrity commissioner David Boghosian in a report tabled this week for the Oct. 10 city council meeting.
The complaint against Leduc was filed anonymously, and relates to an April 25 radio interview Leduc did for the CBC’s “Morning North with Markus Schwabe” regarding an April 27 elections compliance audit committee meeting, at which his 2022 election finances were called to question.
In the interview, Leduc claimed that video evidence against him was “tampered” and “did not reflect the event properly.”
(The claims against Leduc centred around whether a Grandparents’ Day event in 2022 should have been considered a campaign event for Leduc, and accounted for as such in his campaign finances. The videos in question consisted of footage filmed during the event in question.)
During the radio interview, Leduc also alleged that the complainants “admitted that they tampered with the video they supplied.”
In his report to city council, Boghosian leans on the Oxford Dictionary definition of “tamper” to refute Leduc’s claim. The word means to:
- interfere with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations. As in “someone tampered with the brakes on my car.”
- exert a secret or corrupt influence upon (someone).
Leduc “provided no evidence” suggesting that the video was edited to be misleading, “nor was there any finding by the audit committee that the video was edited in a misleading way relative to the campaign finance issue before them, which was what Councillor Leduc’s comments were directed toward,” according to Boghosian’s report.
“Vague assertions of misdeeds against members of the public with no evidence to support them are not in keeping with a councillor’s responsibilities under the Code (of Conduct).”
Specifically, Boghosian concluded that Leduc violated 15(1)(a) of the code, which states, that members of council shall “treat other Members, City officers and employees, and members of the public, appropriately, and without abuse, intimidation, harassment or violence.”
A second complaint against Leduc centred around comments he made during a May 25 election compliance audit committee, at which he faced a second complaint regarding his 2022 campaign finances and whether a Grandparents’ Day event should have been included.
During the May 25 meeting, Leduc said, “All I want to make clear is to this posse and this political group that I’ve been targeted, they’ve come straight out and said ‘posse stands for hunting,’ ok? Guess what folks, the tables have turned on you, ok? And I’m no longer going to be hunted by your little group. Thank you.”
Although the line, “the tables have turned on you,” might be construed as a threat in isolation, Boghosian concluded that the full context doesn’t clearly suggest as much. He found this statement did not breach the Code of Conduct.
Although Boghosian concluded that Leduc’s radio interview comments were “objectionable and impertinent,” and breached the Code of Conduct, he also said they do “not quite rise to a level warranting sanction by council.”
“If subsequent complaints are made about statements made by Councillor Leduc against these or other members of the public and those complaints are found to be valid, this infraction will undoubtedly be factored into consideration of the appropriate sanction at that time.”
In response to the integrity commissioner’s findings, Leduc told Sudbury.com that he’s happy with the result, and that he didn’t go into the radio interview with a script.
“Could I have used better wording other than ‘tampered,’ and maybe said, ‘spliced, edited?’” he asked, adding that there’s room for improvement in his language choices.
“I’m happy that the integrity commissioner ruled more in my favour,” he said. “I’m glad that he saw there was nothing vindictive of me saying what I said.”
During the April 27 elections compliance audit committee meeting, the committee opted to enlist KPMG to audit Leduc’s 2022 election campaign finances after deeming there was “reasonable grounds” to do so.
Their investigation is ongoing.
Leduc said KPMG reached out to him for information last week, which he has since dropped off with them.
The public component of the Oct. 10 city council meeting begins at 6 p.m. and can be viewed in-person at Tom Davies Square, or live streamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.