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Two months after Wetaskiwin Mayor Joe Branco was banned from city hall, little information has been revealed as to why the decision was made in the central Alberta city.
Joe Branco hired Robert Noce, and Edmonton-based lawyer with Miller Thomson LLP, in early February.
Noce requested to have the investigation report by city’s lawyer that led to council’s decision to ban Branco, but he says he still doesn’t have it.
“I want to see what exactly the allegations were. I want to see the type of investigation the municipality, specifically the city manager, undertook,” Noce says.
“The municipality has been very tight-lipped with me in terms of providing me with any particulars.”
The City of Wetaskiwin has released a statement on March 20 that it said was in response to recent news articles and social media posts — but it does little to clarify the mysterious situation that has been ongoing for months.
The statement says, in part:
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“The city wishes to clarify that the Mayor’s access to City Hall has been restricted in response to confidential personnel matters that cannot be discussed under the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA). With respect to the recent comments about the request for records from the Mayor’s legal counsel, these records cannot be provided in accordance with the city’s legal obligations under the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) and the Municipal Government Act (MGA).”
The city says the privacy and municipal government laws require it to protect personal information and matters discussed in closed council sessions. It also says it continues to consult with legal counsel on the matter.
“Accordingly, at this time, the city will not be providing further comments,” the statement reads.
Noce said once he has the report he’s requested and knows the facts of the investigation, they can begin having discussions on how the mayor can return to city hall.
Since Branco was banned from city hall and from attending city council meeting in person nearly two months ago, Global News has received reports of continuous public speculation and scrutiny of the council’s silence around the situation.
City councillors and administration held a special meeting on March 2 to discuss threats that councillors and city staff had been receiving.
A motion to bring in a third-party contractor to investigate the threats and guide council in dealing with the situation was presented during a council meeting on March 10.
The motion was tabled to be discussed in the next council meeting on March 24.
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