Another inquiry into alleged racism within the Whitby council continues to drain taxpayer funds.
Councillor Chris Leahy and Steve Yamada lodged complaints with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario after Leahy accused his fellow members of treating Yamada differently due to his Asian heritage in October 2024.
The complaints were made against the town, the Integrity Commissioner, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, as well as Councillors Rhonda Mulcahy and Niki Lundquist.
Lundquist, who is a lawyer, believes that the matter will be dismissed. She states that a previous investigation into these complaints was conducted by a reputable lawyer trained to evaluate both personal and institutional impacts of structural racism while also teaching these topics at law schools.
Durham Radio News contacted the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario to find out how much taxpayers in Whitby have spent on the complaints filed by Leahy and Yamada so far.
About a year and a half after the incident occurred, investigations have cost Whitby taxpayers roughly $106,000 – up until now.
During a council meeting on October 7, 2024, Councillor Chris Leahy claimed that his fellow members treated Councillor Steve Yamada differently because of his Asian background.
Leahy asserts that Yamada was never given the Deputy Mayor position or even provided with a name tag among other “microaggressions” he feels were “diminishing to the stature of somebody who has earned their place in society”.
Mayor Roy interpreted Leahy’s comments as insinuating that council members were being racist and demanded an apology.
Leahy denied accusing any council members of racism and refused to apologize. The council took a five-minute break before voting to adjourn the meeting early.
During that brief recess, Leahy alleged that a secret meeting occurred.
Whitby’s Chief Administrative Officer Matt Gaskell stated that Leahy’s claims about the secret meeting were false. He explained that advice regarding Rules of Procedure was given to uphold decorum during Council meetings.
Councillors Chris Leahy and Steve Yamada had their pay suspended for one week after Integrity Commissioners found they violated the Code of Conduct by accusing the mayor, councillors, and town staff of racism.
The report concluded that race, ancestry or ethnic origin did not influence how Yamada was treated by the mayor, other councillors or staff. The Whitby council voted 6-1 to suspend their pay.
The Integrity Commissioners’ investigation into this matter cost just under $10,000.
The Town of Whitby has allocated $20,000 annually for Integrity Commissioner services. This budget covers expenses related to issues raised with the Integrity Commissioner along with guidance offered to Members of Council about potential conflicts of interest.
Aird & Berlis LLP also carried out an independent investigation into whether there was anything illegal about the alleged secret meeting. That investigation came at a cost of $13,000.
A third inquiry by Bernardi Human Resource Law was initiated to determine if anti-Asian bias or racism influenced how Councillor Yamada was treated.
This final investigation’s total cost amounted to $82,740.24.
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