Almost one month after the Town of Athabascaís council voted to go to court to disqualify Mayor Roger Morrill and Coun. Tim Verhaeghe, former mayor Lionel Cherniwchan is scheduled to speak at a council meeting.
Marked as a delegation tonight, March 1, Cherniwchan is set to speak about a FOIP request, a request to access information.
His presentation form, which is now part of the agenda package for the meeting, states he will be discussing the fact that his FOIP request resulted in ìno agendas, minutes nor motions for the administration committee from Sept. 2014 to December 2015.î
The form also says payments have been claimed by councillors for the meetings, though there is ìno record of meetings held.î
He points out on the form that moving expenses were approved without a motion directing approval to council, and that there was also ìapproval of rent for CAO for 4 months ($1,600).î
ìThis is not right,î Cherniwchan said in an interview.
According to the townís committees of council web page, Councillors Joanne Peckham, Nichole Adams and Shelly Gurba sit on the administration committee.
Cherniwchan said he made a FOIP request for all agendas and minutes for the meetings, as well as communications, notes and emails pertaining to the administration committee between Peckham, Gurba, Adams, and town chief administrative officer Josh Pyrcz. He said he received the response to his FOIP request on Feb. 24.
He also pointed out that he received reports based on a second FOIP request, which asked for records pertaining to expenses and disbursements to Pyrcz, along with expenses for mileage, subsistence, conferences, workshops and professional development.
Petition
Cherniwchan said he is also starting a petition, the goal of which is to get municipal affairs to conduct an inquiry into the state of affairs in the town. Its preamble:
ìWhereas the Town of Athabascaís governance process has been severely hindered by councilís inability to work together, the toxic environment that exists throughout the organization, we the undersigned hereby request the minister of municipal affairs to conduct an inquiry into the affairs of the municipality, the conduct of councillors and employees.î
ìAnd thatís basically what itís going to be all about,î Cherniwchan said. ìTo ask the minister to come in and do something with the gong show we have down over there.î
Jerry Ward, public affairs officer with Municipal Affairs Alberta, said a petition would need signatures of 20 per cent of the townís overall population for the province to step in ñ a total of 598 signatures.
