Ethics complaints filed amid Fort Simpson village departures

Fort Simpson’s ethics commissioner is investigating two complaints filed against one or more members of the village’s council.

Mayor Les Wright said the complaints were filed approximately a month ago but he could not speak to their nature.

“That’s in the HR department, I can’t talk about that,” said Wright.

He said the commissioner has about 90 days to complete the investigations.

The potential repercussions for implicated councillors, if it is determined that they breached the village’s code of conduct, are unclear.

“It all depends on what the commissioner comes back with,” said Wright.

One of the complaints, filed by assistant senior administrative officer Adrian Heron, stems from comments made during a council meeting in December 2024.

Heron had just been appointed the village’s acting SAO for the period of December 11, 2024 to January 27, 2025 when councillor Richenda Cli returned to the motion regarding his appointment and appeared to question his capability to hold the role.

“I just feel like I, as a councillor, am liable for what happens within the village and I just don’t want to be liable for anything done by somebody that is not competent,” said Cli in the meeting, which was streamed live.

Heron said the SAO at the time, Darrell White, had been mentoring him for a year. In the meeting, White suggests he has been preparing Heron to take over as senior administrator.

Heron had been taking community government courses, he said, with Ontario’s Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers.

Cli happens to be Heron’s former sister-in-law. Heron says they were never close.

“She doesn’t know my skills and abilities at work,” said Heron.

“I may be a little bit underqualified for the role but, working with the village for so long, I know all the operations, I know the projects. I know everything that we’re dealing with at this time.”

Cli could not be reached by Cabin Radio for comment.

In the meeting, White said: “I would respectfully suggest to council that Mr Heron is more than competent to undertake what would be required for that period of time, in terms of his knowledge of the operation, his abilities and his competency.”

“I don’t feel that there’s an exposure to the village,” White said.

White told Cabin Radio that in his opinion, there was no basis for these comments and the councillor wouldn’t have had any knowledge of Heron’s performance in his role.

He said he had hoped in the meeting that someone would call a point of order, but that didn’t happen.

“They’re a new council, maybe they don’t know all the proper protocols and that etiquette,” said White. “But the chair of the meeting – who’s always the mayor – that would normally be the time when the mayor would call point of order.”

The village’s procedural bylaw says of councillors: “No Member shall speak disrespectfully of the Crown, other Members, the public or any employee of the Village.”

In February, White resigned from his post as SAO for the village.

He said there were many reasons for his departure but he could not elaborate further.

“It was time for me to go,” said White.

Village councillor Muaz Hassan also tendered his resignation in March after being elected to a fourth term on council in October 2024.

Hassan said he felt too much time was being allocated to debating smaller issues like stop signs and dog bylaws.

He said he is also involved in national and international humanitarian projects and is interested in devoting more time to those initiatives instead.

“I just realized that it will be a very difficult job with a council that work on directions different than advocating for the best for this community,” Hassan wrote in his resignation letter.

In the letter, he said council had a focus “on minor issues that does not follow a clear specific strategic plan to make things better.”

The letter also referred to a recent mill rate increase bylaw, which went to a third reading without having been properly advertised to the public according to regulations in the NWT’s Cities, Towns and Villages Act.

The bylaw was rescinded in March, after Hassan’s departure, so that proper notice could be given to the public before it was eventually passed in April.

Mayor Les Wright said notice of the bylaw was posted “all over town,” as well as in the village office and on the village’s website.

In a council meeting, Mitch Gast – who took on the role of interim SAO until the position was recently filled – said this was the village’s first mill rate increase in 10 years.

Wright said the tax increase was required to keep up with rising costs.

“In the last 10 years, the price of everything went up except for the mill rates,” said Wright. “The price of fuel, price of labour, price of just everything.”

Hassan said he had hoped council would advocate for the village after the GNWT announced changes to community funding so the effect on taxpayers would be reduced.

“I don’t see that this council has any strategic plan,” said Hassan.