North Shore municipal councillor resigns, 2 months after criminal harassment conviction
CBC
A community councillor representing P.E.I.'s Rural Municipality of North Shore has resigned, two months after he was convicted of criminal harassment.
The timing of Robbie Moore's resignation has some people in the community questioning whether he should have stepped down sooner, given the rules laid out in P.E.I.'s Municipal Government Act.
The act states that "a council member is disqualified from serving on council if convicted of an indictable offence" and that "a council member who is disqualified shall resign immediately."
In Canada, indictable offences are more serious than summary conviction cases, and the person accused of one is arrested and must appear in court to answer the charge.
Moore was convicted in late November of criminally harassing three people over the course of 20 months.
After the conviction, he continued serving on council for several weeks. That prompted an anonymous email to the municipality and the media in mid-January, claiming to be from a group of concerned community members.
"This situation has raised serious concerns within the community, as this criminal conviction conflicts with the municipality's rules stipulating that individuals convicted of a crime cannot remain on the council," the email read.
"The concern is not only for the well-being of our community but also for the potential risk of having a councillor with a history of criminal behaviour. People are hesitant to voice their concerns openly due to fears of potential retaliation."
Two weeks ago, Moore was sentenced to three months in jail — to be served on weekends — and three years' probation.
CBC News contacted Moore last week to ask about the apparent concerns in the community, as suggested by the anonymous email. He responded by saying he'd just submitted his letter of resignation, and declined to comment further.
No one from the North Shore municipality would agree to an interview either. Nor would anyone say whether Moore was told to resign after his conviction.
In an email, chief administrative officer Sarah Wheatley wrote: "A municipality must consider the full contents of 'Division 5–Disqualification' in the Municipal Government Act, along with specific advice from their lawyer, when making decisions of this nature."
A P.E.I. government spokesperson said Monday that the province is aware of the situation involving Moore, and "does not believe the Municipal Government Act has been violated."
"The MGA outlines the duties of councillors and council, but does not provide a timeline of what is 'immediate'," the spokesperson said in an email. "This is an unfortunate situation for the municipality but it is a municipal matter."
A third-party review of the use of dogs in medical research at London's Lawson Research Institute found that the testing, which induced heart attacks in the dogs, complied with all "regulatory, ethical and professional standards."
A Calgary-based outreach team that's trained to respond to overdoses in the city's inner-city Beltline neighbourhood, will see its hours slashed by Recovery Alberta so it will no longer operate overnight.
What happens in one community in northeast B.C. is always felt by all, says Peace River Regional District chair Brad Sperling.
School is out again on the northeast Avalon, as the region continues to dig out from this winter’s biggest storm.
Wikwemikong Tribal Police Servce (WTPS) said a drop in the number of charges against teens last year, particularly boys, is an encouraging sign that early intervention programs are working.
Christian Herridge’s life has not been easy.
Ken Stannix saw a community in economic decline when he retired from a career in the military and moved home to McAdam in 2012.
When Alexe Frédéric Migneault suddenly began experiencing hair loss, they thought a haircut would be just the thing to help them feel confident again.
Members of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN-S) who had come to rely on a mental health and addictions support program say the organization should have done more to prepare for the end of federal funding that will force it to close next month.
Islanders applying for or renewing their Prince Edward Island health card after April 1 will see a new optional question about their race or ethnicity.
This winter's lack of snow and mild conditions have impacted the economics of the skiing and biking industry in B.C.'s Interior.
In this city-run seniors' building, Hamilton residents say needles, urine, feces are only steps away
When Rose Hamilton stepped into the stairwell of her apartment building one evening in January, it wasn’t the first time she says she encountered a puddle of urine and feces.
Democrats in Washington are expanding their probe into the circumstances around U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threat to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.