Resignation of Sarnia’s Integrity Commissioner demanded following privacy breach

Cathy Dobson A Sarnia resident wants the city’s Integrity Commissioner to resign following a privacy breach Monday that identified him and six others as having filed highly confidential complaints to the Integrity Commissioner’s office.

Cathy Dobson

A Sarnia resident wants the city’s Integrity Commissioner to resign following a privacy breach Monday that identified him and six others as having filed highly confidential complaints to the Integrity Commissioner’s office.

Robert Dickieson says Paul Watson must be held to a high standard and demanded a personal apology from both Watson and Mayor Mike Bradley, who chaired the meeting.

In the early minutes of a virtual council training session Monday led by Watson the names of seven complainants, including Dickieson’s, appeared on screen.

Neither Watson nor Bradley immediately apologized. Dickieson said Tuesday he is filing a written complaint to both the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the Law Society of Ontario calling for Watson’s resignation.

“This isn’t minor; it’s a major breach of privacy,” said Dickieson. “If we were having in-person meetings it would be like someone walking through council chambers carrying a billboard with my name on it.”

Dickieson, a local veterinarian, didn’t watch the online training session but was informed by another complainant whose name was also displayed.

Dickieson said he was told the page was onscreen for 15 to 30 seconds, long enough for people to record the list and write down names.

“It feels like a betrayal of my confidentiality,” he said. “Paul Watson needs to think about his role with the city if he is Integrity Commissioner and doesn’t follow his own rules.

“Someone working at that high level of privacy and integrity should know better. It’s his job.”

Dickieson said his biggest concern is the privacy breach will deter others from launching formal complaints to the integrity commissioner.

“They won’t be sure if their name is going to be on the screen next time,” he said.

Watson, a Chatham-based lawyer and former Chatham-Kent municipal councillor, was hired as Sarnia’s integrity commissioner in 2019. His four-year contract was for $36,867 plus HST.

In his most recent semi-annual report, Watson said he received three complaints in the second half of 2020, found insufficient grounds to continue an investigation in all three cases, and billed the city $7,673.

Dickieson said he immediately called two city councillors, who he would not name, and they reconfirmed the breach.

“One councillor said it was very serious and that I should call the mayor right away.”

Dickieson said he called the mayor’s cell phone. The mayor responded by email, saying the issue was in the hands of the city clerk who was “seeking direction from the province and others.”

City clerk Amy Burkhart was apologetic when Dickieson contacted her, he said.

By that time, several hours after the Zoom meeting ended, it had been edited and the names of the complainants deleted.

“I asked that all notes and video should be destroyed and I asked for a copy of the original but was denied access,” Dickieson said. “She told me that I’d have to file a request for it through Freedom of Information.”

Dickieson said he called Watson’s office and left a message but, as of Tuesday, had not heard back.

“So far I’m very disappointed with the dismal approach of the city,” he said. “This whole story would have looked completely different if I’d received an apology from the chair and the integrity commissioner.”

Confidentiality is emphasized when a complaint is made in writing to Sarnia’s Integrity Commissioner via City Hall, Dickinson said.

“I was required to sign an agreement that I’d maintain secrecy. The bar is set high and I feel the city didn’t keep up their end of the bargain.”

While happy the online version of the meeting has been edited, “the genie is out of the bottle and it’s very difficult to put it back in.

“I really hope the city learns from this and it never, never happens again,” he said.

Monday’s training session with Watson was characterized as a refresher course on the city’s Code of Conduct midway through this term of council.

The theme repeated by Watson was that council members need to show respect to one another, to city staff and to committee members.