A Windsor city councillor is taking criticism over unfounded claims of physical and sexual assault that were published in a local newspaper.
City council voted Monday night on a motion to refer the matter concerning Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin to the city's integrity commissioner. Councillor Chris Holt was the lone no vote while Bortolin abstained.
The motion was filed in response to comments made by Bortolin in the October 18 edition of the Windsor Star, where he criticized councillors over recent funding packages by calling attention to a sexual assault that Windsor police says never took place.
"When I have to continually go back to residents and say there is no money for a $3,000 alley light where that person got beat up and raped last week, it’s hard,” Bortolin is quoted in the Star.
Police say there was no report of any kind of an attack reported to them.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says in a post on his Facebook page that while councillors are entitled to their opinions, making claims just to score political points is wrong.
The motion to refer the matter to the integrity commissioner was introduced by Ward 6 Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac, who told council she takes it to heart when unproven allegations are made against police.
"As a woman and as a vice-chair of the Windsor police board, and to me as an individual councillor that sits around this table, we spend more than $80-million a year on safety and protection," says Gignac.
Bortolin has apologized for the comments and he says he will respect the process, as well as Gignac's right to introduce the motion.
"I don't know how much more I want to add because the integrity commissioner will look into it and make a decision in his ruling," says Bortolin. "At the end of the day, they're regrettable comments for sure."
The Municipal Act says once the commissioner receives a potential violation of council's Code of Conduct and reviews it, it could result in a penalty ranging from a formal reprimand to suspension of up to 90 days.