Heather Wright/The Independent

The Independent has learned Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley is under investigation by the town’s Integrity Commissioner over comments he made about the fire chief.

The probe underway now, sources tell The Independent, is linked to the fall out from an investigation into Councillor Marty Souch.

In December, Investigator John Fleming probed an incident which saw police tail Souch after a staff member went to police concerned an unnamed councillor was watching staff at work. Fleming found no evidence of the claim and said the staff had gone above the chief administrative officer’s head in taking the matter to the OPP.

After Fleming’s investigation, CAO Rick Charlebois, in a news release, said the actions recommended by Fleming after the two-week investigation into the staff/ councillor relations problem would move forward. But the exact actions were not released, nor were the names of the staff members involved in the conflict with Souch. The Independent, which had talked to Souch long before the internal investigation, revealed he was the councillor involved in the conflict.

Three weeks after Fleming’s report, the town changed the job description of Fire Chief Jay Arns.

Loosley, in an interview with The Independent after the bylaw was approved by council without changes, linked the changes to Fleming’s investigation.
Loosley says the bylaw clarifies Arns position which had been termed Protective Services.
“There’s a difference on his responsibilities now basically to be related to fire and crossing guards and parking tickets, that type of thing,” Loosley is quoted as saying in the Dec. 16, 2021 edition. “And that’s where he will stop. So, it won’t be all the other things that … what he was involved with – you know, that part of the idea of somebody following somebody and him getting involved with that,” he said.
The Independent asked the mayor then if the fire chief “felt empowered” to go to the OPP because his duties included protective services. “That’s my understanding, yes,” says Loosley.

“It was as recommended by Fleming to do that. So, he was just empowered under certain areas and not everything,” said Loosley.

Petrolia’s Chief Administrative Officer, Rick Charlebois, would not say whether an investigation was underway into the comments by the Integrity Commissioner.

“All matters related to code of conduct complaints are managed independently by the Town’s Integrity Commissioner who must handle all matters pursuant to the statutory duty of confidentiality under the Municipal Act. This duty of confidentiality extends to every person acting under the instructions of the Integrity Commissioner. Neither council nor staff are at liberty to comment on any matters that the Integrity Commissioner may or may not be currently handling,” Charlebois wrote.

He directed The Independent to the town’s Integrity Commissioner for any further information.

In an email, Integrity Commissioner John Mascarin said he was not able to speak to the matter under the Municipal Act duty of confidentiality rules; “The Commissioner and every person acting under the instructions of the Commissioner shall preserve secrecy with respect to all matters that come to his or her knowledge in the course of his or her duties under this Part,” Mascarin quoted.

“There are statutory exceptions but none that would permit us to provide you with the information that you are seeking at this time.”

When contacted by The Independent’s Heather Wright, Loosley said “I can’t comment on that. My understanding is you were involved with that,” he said.

When Wright responded the newspaper did not file a complaint, Loosley said “I’m glad to hear that.”

It’s not clear how long the investigation will take or who is being interviewed. The Independent has not been contacted by the Integrity Commissioner to make a statement.

While Integrity Commissioners has to keep all matters they’re investigating, the Municipal Act states municipalities are required to ensure that reports received from the Integrity Commissioner are made available to the public.