Sarnia council has transitioned back to what became a normal way of conducting meetings throughout the pandemic.
Mayor Mike Bradley said the regular meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday will be held electronically.
"The meeting is on Zoom because of concerns raised by members of council, staff, and the public about health and safety in the workplace due to recent events," Bradley said. "I can not say much more than that, but it is a preventative measure."
A special council meeting on May 23, and strategic planning session on May 13, were also conducted online.
"As a chair, I would prefer not to run a Zoom meeting. It is more challenging. However, I understand the concerns that have been raised and it's the responsibility of the city to ensure that everyone in the workplace is safe," he said.
Mayor Bradley was unable to confirm how long meetings will be conducted electronically.
"There is no timeframe at this point," Bradley said. "We are waiting to hear back on an employment matter, which council gave direction last Thursday in a closed session, related to issues with the municipal act, and gave direction to staff. So, we're waiting to hear back on when that will be completed. That is a factor in this and it's really day-to-day after we get through Monday's meeting."
When asked, Mayor Bradley wouldn't disclose specifics about the employment matter.
"I have not identified what this issue is about. I believe one of the members of council have identified their involvement with the issue, but we are not disclosing that at this point. We have a responsibility to everybody involved in this just to move forward, get the issues dealt with, and get it back to council as soon as possible so we can move on," he said.
City/county councillor Bill Dennis shared in a social media post on May 18 that he had been named as a respondent in a workplace harassment complaint.
"Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “OHSA”), the city is required to investigate this matter as the employer," said City Clerk Amy Burkhart, in a portion of the correspondence shared by Dennis. "Pursuant to the city’s Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy and Program, where the respondent is a member of council, staff will be presenting recommendations regarding the investigation to council. Under the policy, city council will, with the exception of the respondent councillor, provide direction to staff. Subject to the recommendations, a third party investigator may be engaged to investigate the matter. You will be included in the investigation process and be advised of the final findings and any remedial action as per the OHSA."
According to The Journal, complaints have also been launched against Dennis by the director of the Sarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid Society.
The Journal said Dawn Flegel made a formal complaint to the integrity commissioner and the Human Rights Commission after Dennis criticized a recruitment ad, posted to the agency’s Facebook page, on his social media page.
In a letter to the editor, sent to The Journal, Flegel said "the councillor's assertion that actively seeking qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds constitutes discrimination is not only misguided, but also dangerously undermines our efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, youth, and families in our community."
Dennis has been the subject of many complaints throughout his two terms on council.
Meetings have also adjourned early as a result of his outbursts.
Earlier this year, Sarnia's integrity commissioner found Dennis violated the code of conduct