6 * THE SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010

NEWS & ANALYSIS

COUNCIL

Cont'd from page 1 meetings. Goldwax and Gonshor opposed the motion to ban Gonshor. "I don't believe the intentions [to resolve the issue] are there," Goldwax said. "I'm shocked." "I thought we were all going to sit down and talk about it!" said Gonshor. Monday's council meeting, where this issue dominated, was very fractious. Former councillor Lillian Vineberg, her husband Stephen Vineberg and council regular Rachel Genziuk were escorted out of the meeting by public security on orders from Mayor William Steinberg for speaking or protesting out of turn from their seats. Catcalls could be heard during the meeting and, at one point, one resident told another to "shut the f--k up." As seen in opinion articles signed by Steinberg and most of council in last week's Suburban and a letter by Gonshor to residents and included in this week's Suburban, Gonshor and most of the rest of council are at odds over part of the Code of Ethics, which demands that councillors not reveal what takes place at closed door meetings in which town matters are discussed before and after public council meetings take place. The code says that councillors cannot consult anybody, including lawyers or doctors - about what other council members had to say during those meetings. Only spouses of council members can be informed. Gonshor told Monday's meeting that he was refused entry to that day's 6 p.m. caucus meeting, and said he was deprived of his legal right to attend "any meeting with elected councillors and administrators. This lockout constitutes a violation of my rights and duties as an elected councillor for which there exists no basis in law, period. Refusal of admittance to this caucus meeting or any other meeting held in secrecy without my knowledge would be actionable against each member of this council that signed the letter [in last week's Suburban]. I am prepared, and this is not a joke, to pursue this to the [municipal affairs] ministry and the courts if necessary.... All I've done is not sign the paper because I didn't agree with it." Steinberg responded with a legal opinion by municipal lawyer Yvon Denault. The opinion said caucus meetings are not legally recognized, and thus "there are no rules which govern who may attend them. "Consequently, the person convening such a meeting may decide who is invited," the mayor read. "A Court of Appeal case ruled that even in the case of an establishment open to the public, a person refusing to leave after being invited to do so becomes an intruder as contemplated in Section 41 of the Criminal Code. "In other words, Councillor Gonshor has absolutely no right to attend our caucus meetings and he can be arrested if he does not leave after he shows up," Steinberg added. Councillor Bonnie Feigenbaum had a very visible negative reaction during the meeting to Steinberg's statement about a possible arrest. Feigenbaum told the mayor after the meeting that while he could legally have Gonshor arrested, "I would never go that route, and I don't understand why you would highlight that." n

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