Despite 15 hours of closed-door meetings on Friday and Saturday, the Halton Police Board still hasn’t decided what to do about Chief Stephen Tanner’s recent trip to Florida.
According to a brief media release, the board “will continue to examine this issue” during another special meeting scheduled for Thursday morning.
Tanner travelled to Florida on Dec. 26, despite the provincial lockdown and public health recommendations to avoid non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
His nine-day trip to take care of an “urgent property matter” – reported to be the sale of his girlfriend’s condo – was approved by Oakville mayor Rob Burton in his role as chair of the Halton police services board.
Burton has since resigned from that role, saying he was “deeply regretful” for authorizing the trip.
Tanner has also apologized for heading south but when contacted about the trip’s purpose, he simply emailed, “Much more to it than a sale of property.”
His trip came to light following the on-duty death of Halton officer Michael Tidball as the result of a medical condition.
The six remaining members of the police services board met on Jan. 8 to discuss Tanner’s travel. That meeting ran into the evening and then continued the next day.
Tanner had “an opportunity to meet with the board” during those sessions, according to media contact Kimberly Calderbank.
That contact was presumably online, as the police chief continues to serve his required 14 days of post-travel quarantine.
Pandemic excursions by politicians, hospital executives and other public figures have made headlines in recent weeks.
But while hospital CEOs in Hamilton and London were fired by their boards for out-of-country trips, those decisions have come at a cost.
Dr. Tom Stewart, former CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System in Hamilton, has a contract entitling him to more than $1 million in severance after being released by his board.
In London, Dr. Paul Woods has filed a $2.5 million lawsuit after being terminated as CEO of the London Health Sciences Centre.
Halton’s police chief since 2012, Tanner earned $292,066 last year. The terms of his contract are not public.
With Burton’s resignation, Oakville councillor Jeff Knoll has taken on the role of acting chair of the police services board.
Knoll and Halton Hills councillor Clark Somerville serve as representatives of regional council. Curt Allen, Donald Foster and Navneet Sekhon are provincial appointees to the board, while Ingrid Hann is the region’s civilian appointee.
Halton regional chair Gary Carr could step into the seat vacated by Burton, or another regional councillor could be appointed to the board.