THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay city councillor Aldo Ruberto has issued a defiant statement rejecting the conclusions of an integrity commissioner report that concluded he breached the city’s code of conduct.
The report, released Wednesday, found Ruberto’s comments on Facebook following an incident last fall in which a man drove a truck over a tent in a homeless encampment at a local mall were inappropriate.
In response to reports of the incident, Ruberto stated on Facebook, "I hope it is a case of the wind blowing a tent and hitting the truck. And not a truck purposely running over a stationary tent."
He later deleted the post, and answered public criticism with sometimes combative responses. He also proceeded to block a freelance journalist who had pressed him on the issue.
Councillors, as elected officials, should avoid commenting on matters before the courts and active police investigations, the report asserted, while raising broader concerns about his social media use.
“I strongly disagree with the interpretation of my post and the Integrity Commissioner’s report which further misrepresents my post, full stop,” Ruberto wrote in a statement shared by email with TBNewswatch.
The at-large councillor, first elected in 2006, declined an interview Thursday, saying he would reserve further comment until the matter is discussed Monday at council.
Ruberto’s council colleagues will consider the report’s recommendations to dock Ruberto five days’ pay, and develop a detailed social media policy, on Monday, though they have 90 days to respond to the report.
In his statement, Ruberto argued the commissioner’s report was based on an “incorrect interpretation” of his comments, saying he wasn’t speculating on the driver’s motivations but simply “expressing my hopes, and believing in the best of mankind.”
“To me and many others this Facebook post says, ‘I hoped it was not someone trying to harm a homeless person, and I hoped it was the wind, or the driver who lost their capacity in some way to drive. Anything but malicious intent,’” he stated.
“How this post can be interpreted as attempting to influence a police investigation or court proceeding is far reaching. It is beyond my comprehension. If a post can be interpreted in such a way, perhaps all city councillors should refrain from the use of social media.”
He also responded to the conclusion of the integrity commissioner that his decision to block members of the public after disagreements online raised concerns, saying the step shouldn't be taken merely to silence debate.
“I will block anyone if it means protecting my mental health,” he said. “As an elected official, blocking someone because you feel you are being harassed is justified, blocking them because of meaningful political engagement is not justified. I would say that having my post twisted into a misrepresentation of my intent, is far from meaningful political engagement.”
“There is no legal precedent or policy enforcement in Canada that guides when an elected official can – or cannot – block a citizen,” he asserted. “There has been plenty of discussion about it, the issue is a topic of debate in Canada and the US.”
Ruberto said he had reviewed the report with a workforce investigator with legal training.
