Integrity complaint dismissed: Hamilton councillor ‘blunt and undiplomatic,’ but not abusive, commissioner rules

A complaint from a resident that Coun. Lloyd Ferguson used abusive language at a committee meeting has been dismissed by the city's integrity commissioner.

Bob Maton filed the complaint Dec. 15, following a planning committee meeting over a proposed townhouse project in which he said the Ancaster councillor was betraying constituents in his apparent support for the development.

At the meeting, Ferguson said Maton's presentation as a delegation was misleading" the community, and accused him of not being truthful."

In a letter to Ferguson and Maton - that Ferguson forwarded to The Spectator - the Toronto firm Principles Integrity opined that the Ward 12 councillor's statements in response to Maton's criticism may be blunt and undiplomatic," but were also fair comment" and do not constitute abuse" that would violate council's code of conduct.

In Maton's complaint, he alleged that Ferguson's remarks at the meeting toward him were disrespectful in the extreme," meant to embarrass and patronize him, and defamatory in the sense they had harmed his reputation.

Maton, a retiree who has published opinion pieces in The Spec, is president of a local advocacy group called Ancaster Village Heritage Community.

The integrity commissioner's mandate does not include ruling on legal questions - defamation is part of the Criminal Code of Canada - but in the letter to Maton and Ferguson added: While the issue of defamation is a question of law, we did not observe anything in Councillor Ferguson's comments which would appear to meet the threshold for defamation."

In an interview with The Spectator about the ruling, Ferguson said he has been exonerated of any wrongdoing" and that the complaint had been without foundation."

He added that he believes Maton has a vexatious style ... and I can't work with someone like that."

Principles Integrity has acted as the city's integrity commissioner adjudicator since 2018.

In December, it ruled that Coun. Sam Merulla should be docked five days pay for breaking council's code of conduct during a heated exchange Merulla had with a retailer over weightlifting equipment.

Jon Wells is a Hamilton-based reporter and feature writer for The Spectator. Reach him via email: jwells@thespec.com