Winnipeg city councillor apologizes after ethics investigation
A city councillor is apologizing after an investigation found he violated a code of ethics rule by not recusing himself from a vote on a proposed development co-owned by a personal friend and former campaign manager.
An investigative report in front of city council said Markus Chambers broke the code by participating in a committee meeting where he influenced, discussed, and voted on a decision where he had a conflict of interest.
"I was really focused on outcomes, the best outcomes for the community which blinded my judgment in terms of recusing myself from this vote," Chambers told CTV News Winnipeg on Friday.
"I apologize for the optics it created."
The investigation by the city's integrity commissioner was launched following a formal complaint filed in September 2023.
It stems from an agenda item at a Riel Community Committee meeting in June of 2023 concerning a proposed multi-unit apartment complex at 180 Creek Bend Road, which is in Chambers' ward.
According to the complaint, Chambers had a personal relationship with one of the co-owners of the development, noting they are a personal friend, past campaign manager and advisor to Chambers.
"The local residents presented petitions (with 180 signatures) to reduce the size and density of the project, however, Markus has throughout favoured his personal friend rather than the constituents," the complaint reads.
"This obviously provides better economic gain for … the personal friend of Mr. Chambers," the complaint later reads.
The committee, which Chambers was a member of, was asked to consider a report from the public service, recommending the development move the majority of its parking underground and create a 20-foot landscape buffer.
Investigation looked at social media posts, interviews
In Integrity Commissioner Sherri Walsh's report, she said the developer appeared in delegation on behalf of the project to oppose the recommendation.
Chambers and the other committee members voted unanimously in favour of the developer's request to reject the parking recommendations.
In the subsequent investigation, Chambers said he spoke with the developer a handful of times about the development, and his advice was always to speak with city officials.
Chambers responded to the complaint by acknowledging his relationship with the developer and detailed his involvement with the development, which stretches back years before the developer's purchase of the property.
However, Chambers acknowledged that a change in ownership and his continued involvement afterward "resulted (in) optics that were not optimal to the outcome of addressing the needs of the community," the report reads.
The investigation looked at meeting minutes and videos, city administrative reports, screenshots of social media posts by Chambers that referenced his relationship with the developer, and interviews of both Chambers and the complainant.
Chambers says he knew the developer for 15 years, having met them through the Provincial Nominee Program where he once worked. Chambers later worked with the developer's spouse.
He noted he did not engage in any business or financial relationships with the developer, and considers them a friend.
There is no evidence in the report’s conclusion to suggest Chambers stood to benefit from the vote.
'I do apologize'
The commissioner recommended Chambers be reprimanded, removed from the committee, and required to make a public apology.
Chambers said he was focused on the development at the time, and knew the project would have opened up options for affordable housing units.
He also says the developer had been advised by a geotechnical engineer who suggested there could be structural integrity issues if they excavated beyond the envelope of the building.
Chambers says he is guilty of treating a personal friend like any other developer.
"At the end of the day, I take the responsibility of not recusing myself from that vote, which was a unanimous vote, and I do apologize."
City council is set to vote on the integrity commissioner's recommendations on Thursday.
The full report can be read on the city's website.
- With files from CTV's Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran, escalating Mideast wars
Israel launched airstrikes early Saturday on what it described as military targets in Iran in retaliation for a ballistic missile assault Oct. 1, officials said. There was no immediate information on damage in the Islamic Republic.
DEVELOPING Scotiabank confirms outage for mobile, online banking
Scotiabank has confirmed outages affecting mobile and online banking services, according to a statement published to its X account.
'I did everything I could': Canada Post driver recounts helping save woman from fiery Tesla crash
Canada Post driver Rick Harper recounts how he and others helped save a woman from a Tesla that caught fire after crashing into a guardrail on Lake Shore Boulevard.
An abrupt goodbye to a guerilla goldfish aquarium beneath a leaky Brooklyn fire hydrant
A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky fire hydrant in New York City has been paved over, to the dismay of neighbours who turned the area into a hangout spot and goldfish shrine.
Climate change breaks heat records across Canada this summer
Human-caused climate change made almost all of Canada’s heat waves hotter and more likely, Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an announcement Friday.
Mother who beat and starved her 5-year-old son to death sentenced to over 50 years in prison
A New Hampshire woman was sentenced Friday to 53 years to life in prison in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and exposed to drugs before his 19-pound body was found buried in a Massachusetts park in 2021.
'Get away from your inner circle': Liberal MP 'shocked' PM didn't take more time to reflect on calls to resign
Longtime Liberal MP Wayne Long says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should give more weight to the views of his backbenchers in determining his future leading the Party, rather than relying on those in his immediate orbit.
Mom and child jumped from a window to escape a Las Vegas fire that killed 2 children and 2 adults
Two adults and two children were found dead in the charred rubble of a house fire after a mother and another child jumped from a third-floor window to escape flames in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, authorities said.
Russian actors made fake video depicting mail-in ballots for Trump being destroyed, FBI says
Russian actors made a widely circulated video falsely depicting mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being destroyed in Pennsylvania, U.S. officials said Friday.