Wait for report into London mayor's complaint about anti-vaxx councillor close to 5-month mark

It's been almost five months since London Mayor Ed Holder filed a complaint with the city's integrity commissioner about the actions of Coun. Michael van Holst, a delay one politics watcher says raises questions about the entire process. 

"Because the facts are known, I can't see that there's a lot of investigation to be done," said Andrew Sancton, a retired political science professor at Western University specializing in municipal politics. "I can't understand why it would take so long. 

"One of the reasons for having an integrity commissioner is to deal with these things faster than the courts would."

In October, Holder filed a complaint with integrity commissioner Gregory Stewart after Ward 1 Coun. Michael van Holst attended an Oct. 16 rally at Victoria Park where hundreds gathered to protest COVID-19 vaccination mandates. The text of the complaint has not been made public.

The city had passed a vaccination bylaw for staff and councillors, and van Holst has been a frequent critic of vaccinations and other public measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Under the council code of conduct, councillors are required to show respect for the decision-making process and communicate accurately to the public about city policies, even ones they don't agree with. 

But Sancton says if that's what Holder's complaint is about, it amounts to an unfair limit on van Holst's free speech. 

"I don't see why any councillor should have less free speech than I do," said Sancton. "I can criticize any municipal decision, why can't a councillor? This really comes down to a disagreement between a mayor and a councillor." 

Another code of conduct rule that may be part of Holder's complaint requires councillors to adhere to bylaws that apply to them. 

The mayor's office declined to comment about the process of an ongoing investigation. Van Holst also declined to comment. 

Coun. Shawn Lewis has been involved with two integrity commissioners' investigations. One was a complaint filed against him by a constituent, the other he filed against a member of a city advisory committee. Both were settled without a report, but Lewis said the investigations can follow a drawn-out process. 

The subject of the complaint gets a chance to provide a written response, then the complainer can respond to that. The rules call for a 10-day turnaround on submissions, but Lewis said extensions are often granted. 

"It's not a court of law but it is a legal process and as much as everybody would like these things settled as quickly as possible, we don't want to skip the due process," he said.

Van Holst told CBC News he filed a response to the mayor's complaint with the integrity commissioner in November. A spokesperson in the mayor's office said Holder filed a response to that submission "within days."

The integrity commissioner can perform investigations and write reports with recommended sanctions, but the ultimate decision about most sanctions comes down to a council vote.