Winnipeg Police Board reprimands Coun. Ross Eadie over breach of code of ethics
Mynarski councillor rapped for disclosing police desire to build station at North Winnipeg Nomads stadium
The Winnipeg Police Board has reprimanded Coun. Ross Eadie for disclosing the desired location for the Winnipeg Police Service's new north district station before the city had a chance to consult with community members.
In a report presented to the board on Friday morning, police board chair David Asper said the board determined Eadie, the lone councillor on the body, breached the board's code of ethics by telling city council of the police service's desire to place their new station on the Old Exhibition Grounds near the site of Charlie Krupp Stadium, the home of the North Winnipeg Nomads football club since 1997.
The Mynarski councillor's statements, disclosed at a public city council meeting in May, took the football club by surprise. Two days later, police Chief Danny Smyth issued a statement accusing Eadie of inflaming a situation before city officials had the chance to speak to the club or conduct other consultations.
In his report to the police board, Asper said Eadie was provided with the information about the new north district station in confidence at a closed-door police board budget-and-finance committee meeting.
"He failed to disclose to council that there would be an extensive community consultation process and that no one intended on leaving the Nomads 'homeless,' " Asper wrote.
Asper wrote Eadie's comments were reckless because the choice of the new north district station cannot be made before consultations take place.
"Coun. Eadie not only breached a confidence, but also subverted a key part of the strategic plan of the Winnipeg Police Board and Service," he wrote.
The board had the option of reprimanding Eadie, asking for his resignation or asking council to revoke the councillor's appointment to the police board, Asper said.
The board decided on a reprimand, "with clear caution to him that he must exercise good judgment" and recognize when his duties as a councillor conflict with those as a police board member.
Asper said Eadie was suspended from carrying out board duties for three days as a result of the reprimand.
'I accepted the reprimand': Eadie
Eadie said he agreed he should not have disclosed information he obtained at a confidential briefing. He said he experiences some conflict between his duties as a ward councillor and as a member of the police board.
"I accepted the reprimand, but in our discussions, we discussed ways of avoiding this kind of situation," Eadie said following Friday's meeting.
Eadie also acknowledged his role on the board has received scrutiny before. But Asper described the councillor as a valued member of the board.
Asper said it was unpleasant to deliver the reprimand to Eadie, explaining he understands the councillor's competing obligations to the board and his constituents.
"It's something that we felt was necessary and we dealt with it expeditiously and fairly, and we move on," Asper said.
Police Chief Danny Smyth said he considers the issue closed. The police are looking forward to the procurement and construction of its new north district station, he said.
The new station would be the fourth and final new police station in a program that started in 2007 with the construction of a new East District station on Dugald Road in St. Boniface Industrial Park.
The city also built a new West District station on Grant Avenue in Tuxedo and converted the former Canada Post warehouse-and-office-tower complex into the new police headquarters.
In May, Eadie said the city looked at several locations for the new north district station, including a separate site on the Old Exhibition Grounds, former brewery land on Redwood Avenue and a vacant former Safeway on Main Street.
City budget documents put the amount for land acquisition at $3.1 million, while construction would cost $20 million, assuming the project can reuse the design that was the basis for the Grant Avenue and Dugald Road district stations.
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