‘It was wrong’: City staff accept blame on Barrhaven development | CBC News

Councillors split on Monday over whether to nudge the province’s attorney general to examine what one called a “tainted” process that cleared the way for a Barrhaven housing development.

The city’s own auditor general found that city staff improperly pushed the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) to further developer Caivan’s Conservancy project in what was initially a flood plain along the Jock River.

Several members of the audit committee agreed, variously calling it “disturbing,” “absolutely inappropriate” and “a huge governance problem.”

Attention focused on a letter the city’s then-director of planning, Lee Ann Snedden, wrote to the RVCA. It endorsed Caivan’s application to fill in part of the flood plain with hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of soil. Her letter said that council supported the file, even though most councillors had no knowledge of that application.

City staff later claimed Snedden was referring to a previous council decision in favour of building housing up to an updated flood plain line. But that line was never updated, and councillors were not informed of that fact when the letter was written.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper faulted Snedden’s letter for “speaking on behalf of council in order to sway third parties to take certain decisions.”

Leiper asked the current general manager of planning, infrastructure and economic development, Don Herweyer, whether his department accepts “the harm that’s done when something is asserted in the name of council” that does not actually reflect council’s will.

Herweyer said he did, and stressed the letter wouldn’t have gone out had it been reviewed at a higher level.

“What happened there was incorrect,” he said. “It was wrong. It should have been reviewed.”

The city’s auditor general, Nathalie Gougeon, said she received allegations she wasn’t able to investigate, since her jurisdiction only covers city departments while the decision to approve the fill application came from the RVCA.

Coun. Theresa Kavanagh asked whether the investigation should be brought to a higher level, possibly including a public inquiry. 

“This clearly was a huge governance problem in terms of interference,” she said. “It does concern me greatly.”

Gougeon said she has already raised the matter with the provincial auditor general and ombudsman, but explained it might have added “weight” if council made an additional request.

Kavanagh proposed a motion that would have council bring Gougeon’s report forward to the provincial auditor general. It failed on a tie.

Becky Fong, a spokesperson for the office of the provincial auditor general, confirmed they are aware of the report on the Conservancy development. She said the office does not generally comment on planned or ongoing audit work.