Dock Susan Stevenson’s pay for ‘bullying’ bureaucrat: Watchdog

Article content

London’s integrity commissioner has ruled Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson harassed a deputy city manager on social media, and recommends docking her pay for a month.

Article content

Article content

A new report going to city council Tuesday dresses down the rookie councillor, saying a social media post of hers on homelessness, singling out Kevin Dickins, deputy city manager of social and health development, led to threatening messages from the public.

Article content

The investigation by Principles Integrity, a firm hired by the city as its integrity commissioner, finds Stevenson’s conduct “constitutes harassment, bullying and targeting, and that this pattern of behaviour is in contravention of the Code of Conduct.”

Stevenson has faced repeated investigations of her controversial social media posts, drawing a December 2023 reprimand for posting photos of identifiable, apparently homeless people with commentary on crime and vandalism.

The latest probe stems from a May 30 complaint from Dickins, based on Stevenson’s resharing of a CTV London article in April where she shares an altered quote from Dickins. The post to X still can be found on Stevenson’s profile.

The report outlines that he wrote to Stevenson asking her to remove his name from the post, saying it was inappropriate to identify him personally and he would file a complaint if the post wasn’t taken down. She countered it was a direct quote, and she did not understand what the complaint would be.

“The councillor editorialized the quote by the addition of provocative emojis; gratuitously included the staff member’s name (completely unnecessarily, if she had simply referenced the article), and unfairly implied that the views advanced were the staff member’s own, rather than reflecting the widely acknowledged prevailing view across the province,” the report reads.

Article content

Article content

It continues: “the post appeared to suggest that this individual was responsible for the continuing problem of encampments in the city. Naming the employee left him vulnerable to targeting by members of the public.”

To that end, the report includes a picture of graffiti which it says appeared on a downtown pole in the days after the social media post, saying Dickins was “responsible for 100s of homeless deaths.”

Stevenson said in an official reply she intended no disrespect, but Dickins “advanced a view on homelessness and encampments in my own ward that I believed was outside the direction of council and certainly differed from my own political position.”

The latest report refers to her December 2023 investigation, and the commissioner’s recommendation for Stevenson to tone down her “provocative” social media, but adds the advice was disregarded and the posts have continued.

“We are not inclined to believe that training would bring about meaningful change in the councillor’s behaviour, particularly as the councillor appears to exhibit little self-awareness in regard to the impacts of her behaviours on others,” the report concludes. “As such, we believe that a meaningful sanction is warranted.”

Article content

The finding recommends suspending Stevenson’s pay for 30 days, saying she refuses “to acknowledge any need for change.”

In a statement to The London Free Press, Stevenson accused the commissioner of coming after her pay “because the questions I have been asking are too much.

“I won’t stop doing my job as councillor. The residents are suffering and as their representative, I will be their voice,” she said. “Everything I have ever said is respectful and reasonable.”

Stevenson has appealed the December 2023 reprimand to the Ontario ombudsman for a lack of due process, she said.

Also in December last year, Stevenson was investigated for sharing and commenting on an opinion column calling for homeless people to be arrested if they refuse shelter, but was cleared by the watchdog.

In July, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission issued a scathing report against Stevenson, a London police board member, but did not recommend a full investigation of her conduct.

Then in August, Stevenson was cleared in an investigation by the integrity commissioner over criticisms of several homelessness and addictions agencies.

Council will hear the report and decide on punishment at its Dec. 17 meeting.

jmoulton@postmedia.com
@jackmoulton65

Article content