Prince George councillor found guilty of leaking report
CBC News
Posted: May 24, 2011 1:16 PM PT
Last Updated: May 24, 2011 4:00 PM PT
A Prince George city councillor has been found guilty of the unauthorized release of personal information for leaking a confidential report about harrassment at the local RCMP detachment and the actions of some senior city managers.
Councillor Brian Skakun was fined $750 for violating the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, but said afterwards that he was disappointed by the verdict.
"There [are] times the public really needs to know. It could have stayed in closed meetings and never ever made public, and I think that would have been a shame," he said after the verdict was handed down on Tuesday.
Skakun said he will not resign from council and will consider appealing the ruling.
Skakun was charged after a report into harassment complaints was leaked to CBC News in 2008. The private consultant's report detailed complaints of harassment against Dahl Chambers, the superintendent of the city's RCMP detachment, and concluded his alleged romantic relationship with a senior city manager was a conflict of interest.
In the report RCMP Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass ordered Chambers to write a letter of apology to several civilian workers at the detachment and to undergo "operational guidance" from senior officers.
CBC obtained the documents, reported on them, and posted them online, in August 2008. Skakun later testified he released the documents because he had a duty to protect city employees.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
