Coun. Wyatt asks court to quash reprimand against him by Winnipeg city council
Transcona councillor seeks apology for censure that followed his refusal to apologize to former CAO
Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt has asked a court to quash a Winnipeg city council reprimand against him and order council to apologize.
Wyatt is seeking a judicial review of a Jan. 30 city council vote to reprimand Wyatt for refusing to apologize for comments he made in 2023 about former Winnipeg chief administrative officer Michael Jack.
"We need a change. We need a new CAO and we need to start removing some of the deadwood that exists in senior management," Wyatt said in his initial comments about Jack in 2023.
Jack filed a complaint later that year, arguing Wyatt violated the harassment rule in the city's code of conduct. A subsequent report by an interim integrity commissioner found Wyatt breached that code and made "objectively offensive comments."
The report recommended Wyatt apologize or face a council reprimand.
After he refused to apologize, council voted 12-2 in favour of that reprimand, with some arguing this action didn't go far enough.
"We need more than just we're reprimanding. I think the public needs more," Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) said at the time.
Councillors Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) and Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry), meanwhile, voted against that reprimand in January. Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) was not present for the vote.
Neither was Wyatt, who said before the vote he didn't believe he did anything wrong
In a notice of application to Manitoba's Court of King's Bench, Wyatt lawyer Dave Hill argues council erred in determining he harassed Jack and acted in bad faith by issuing a reprimand.
In addition to an apology, Wyatt is seeking costs.
'I'm confident': Wyatt
In an interview, Wyatt said the interim integrity commissioner applied an old code of conduct to his case.
City council's code of conduct changed in 2024, after Wyatt made his comments about Jack.
Wyatt also said he acted in the interests of his constituents and only said publicly what other members of council were saying privately.
"Because I had the courage to say it publicly, I'm the one being reprimanded. Well, let's see what happens when we get before the judge and the judicial review. I'm confident that it will be overturned," he said.
Council Speaker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) declined to comment about Wyatt's notice of application. So did Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham.
Jack, who now works as a provincial deputy minister, also declined to comment.
With files from Cameron MacLean.