Chambers first city councillor cited for conflict of interest

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This article was published 21/06/2024 (791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg city councillor has become the first to be cited for breaking conflict of interest rules by voting in favour of parking and landscape changes for his friend and former campaign manager’s proposed apartment development.

St. Norbert-Seine River Coun. Markus Chambers, who is also acting deputy mayor and chairman of the Winnipeg Police Board, was found to be in a conflict of interest when he moved a motion to reduce the width of a landscape buffer on the south side of 180 Creek Bend Rd. from 6.1 metres (20 feet) to just over 2.4 metres (eight feet), increase the property’s surface parking spots from 77 stalls to 121, and reduce underground stalls to 107 from 156.

In an investigation report to be tabled at next Thursday’s council meeting, city integrity commissioner Sherri Walsh said Chambers participated in a meeting of council “where he influenced, discussed and voted on a decision regarding a matter in which he had a conflict of interest.”

Walsh recommends council sanction Chambers by requiring him to issue a public apology at Thursday’s meeting.

The integrity commissioner position was created in 2017. Councillors have previously been the subjects of conflict of interest investigations, but Chambers is the first to be cited.

He told the Free Press Friday that he made an error and takes full responsibility.

“I will absolutely apologize,” he said. “My problem is, I treated him (Amit Bindra) like I treat everybody.

“It was my bad that I didn’t recuse myself, but I had no ill intent… there was nothing untoward. This was trying to achieve the best outcome for the community.”

Chambers went on to point out the benefits arising from his motion, including a larger surface parking lot that would reduce street parking, which residents in the south St. Vital neighbourhood have long complained interferes with snow-clearing operations.

He said the reduction in underground parking stalls was necessary, because the project’s original plan would have made the building unstable.

But one of the nearly 200 area residents who signed a petition to reduce the size of the project to the three storeys the city originally recommended instead of the five eventually approved said Chambers’ apology is not good enough.

“We want our 20-foot buffer back,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified.

“He should have recused himself. He shouldn’t even have been there — it was wrong. I don’t think he was sorry he did it. I think he is sorry he got caught.

“This is not serving the community when 180 people were against it.”

While it’s the first conflict determination of a councillor, it’s not the first time Chambers has violated ethics rules.

Earlier this month, he received a “verbal reprimand” from the police board after it determined he had violated the Manitoba Police Commission’s code of ethics for speaking on behalf of the board when he didn’t have permission.

Chambers said when he learned about allegations that police had issued a tickets against board member Kyle Mason for not renewing his vehicle insurance, he told Mayor Scott Gillingham about it.

“In doing so, I guess other board members felt it was a breach of the process,” Chambers said. “It’s more administrative.”

Mason resigned from the board last month.

“Councillor Chambers has fully co-operated with the Integrity Commissioner and accepts her findings,” Gillingham said in a statement Friday.

“He’ll be following the recommendation to issue an apology. No further action is recommended or required.”

Coun. Brian Mayes, who chaired the June 19, 2023, meeting of the Riel Community Committee where the motion was passed, said he doesn’t remember it.

“I have no memory of him doing anything behind the scenes to push this through,” Mayes said. “I usually defer to the ward councillor. We’ve all approved buildings which the neighbours don’t love.

“But I won’t disagree with the ethics commissioner, here.”

In the 16-page decision, Walsh thanked Chambers for readily acknowledging his mistake and for being “candid and forthright” about the personal relationship he had with Bindra.

She also used the opportunity to warn other members of council “to pay closer attention to situations where a matter involves someone with whom they have a personal relationship.

“As always, I encourage members to seek my advice on a pro-active basis before they act,” she wrote.

Bindra said he is sorry he has caused so much grief for his friend of 15 years.

He worked as Chambers’ campaign manager when the councillor was first elected in 2018 and was his official agent in 2022 when the councillor was acclaimed.

“He should have recused himself, but it was an oversight on each of our parts,” Bindra said. “It’s sad.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca