Bruno Tassone opened Tuesday's city council meeting with an apology for giving in camera meeting information to a member of the public.
Mayor Chernoff responded by accepting the apology on behalf of council and reading a prepared statement.
Chernoff read, “This is a serious breach of your oath as a Councilor for the City... Council accepts your frank admission that this was an error and accepts your commitment that you will never reveal or discuss confidential discussions to others outside of confidential council meetings.”
The statement included the fact that the improperly disclosed information was then posted on a local website.
It also reinforced the fact that Section 117 of the Community Charter requires a council member to keep confidential all records and information considered in a closed meeting. Section 90 of the Community Charter which allows for a council to legally close a meeting for a prescribed list of reasons was also brought up.
Chernoff stated, “A free and frank discussion of these sensitive subjects is for the benefit of the community. The ability to have that kind of discussion is however, ruined where information is selectively disclosed or leaked. Trust between council members is lost. This trust is essential to our ability to serve the citizens of Castlegar.”
The statement ended with a warning that any future occurrence of breach of confidentiality will be dealt with severely.