
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles (Photo from West Grey municipal website)
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles is being formally reprimanded by council, in wake of an integrity commissioner’s probe into public comments he directed towards a South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) executive that could be perceived as threatening.
During its meeting Tuesday, West Grey council reviewed a report from Janice Atwood of Principles Integrity that details the complaint against Eccles.
Eccles and others on West Grey council have been vocal in their opposition to SBGHC’s move in June to close the Durham Hospital’s inpatient unit and relocate its 10 beds to other facilities in Kincardine and Walkerton.
The integrity commissioner’s report says during a meeting on April 30, the mayor said: “one statement that I’ve put out there verbally has been I told the CEO and President of South Bruce Grey Health (Centre) to keep her hands off of the Durham hospital and I’ll promise to keep my hands off of your throat.”
The mayor later apologized for his comment during a council meeting on May 5.
But a couple of days later on May 7, he made another statement before a public meeting: “the public is still angry, not connecting with the information coming forward. The community itself is ready to go to battle on this, whether it’s political or legal. The gun is fully loaded and we’re ready to fire shots. We’re going to hit the target to keep our hospital open … Dangerous is an appropriate word being used in this.”
South Bruce Grey Health Centre’s president and CEO Nancy Shaw filed a complaint about these comments to West Grey’s integrity commissioner — Principles Integrity — on May 21.
While Eccles explained he did not intend for his comments to be taken literally, he takes responsibility for his words.
Atwood says the mayor’s comments were not appropriate and breached the code of conduct. She recommended West Grey council suspend the mayor’s pay for two weeks.
“The fact that there has been acknowledgement. The fact that there has been an undertaking to course correction. And the fact that although it was a repeated offence, there has been in a sense, a real contrition by the mayor,” Atwood explains.
Eccles left council chambers Tuesday while his punishment was being deliberated by his colleagues. They decided in a 4-2 recorded vote for a lesser punishment than the recommendation from the integrity commissioner, choosing to formally reprimand the mayor rather than suspending his pay.
Coun. Doug Townsend says he found the integrity report to be not complete and “very one-sided.”
“Anybody that takes a role in authority is often criticized, verbalized, and the mayor did it, the mayor admits it, the mayor owned up to it, the mayor apologized for it,” says Townsend. “There is a lot of things in (the) report where they are talking about the critical staff shortage and those things that have brought on the situation. And that was a lot to do with them bringing that on themselves. There is no reference in here … the fact that the nursing staff at the hospital came up with a staffing plan to keep the emerge open, keep the beds intact and everything running well into October, but management said no that is not our plan.”
Meanwhile, Coun. Doug Hutchinson says as members of council, they have to be careful about the words they choose.
“Most West Grey citizens agree that the mayor spoke about the hospital closing and it’s a topic that is very concerning and upsetting. We also have to realize that our words can motivate some to act in an inappropriate manner, just look at our neighbours to the south in American politics. Even in Canadian politics, a politician’s words can incite inappropriate behaviour,” says Hutchinson.
Bayshore Broadcasting News reached out to Eccles for comment on this report, but did not hear back prior to deadline.