Mayor Rob Burton has resigned as chair of Halton’s police services board, three days after the news broke that he approved Chief Stephen Tanner’s trip to Florida.
“I regret sincerely that I focused at the time on the ways the chief's trip qualified as essential travel,” he said, in a statement on Monday.
“I should have recommended against it because it could generate public concern about me not setting a higher example than the rules and guidelines actually called for.”
Tanner returned to Canada on Sunday, after a trip to Florida for what has been described as “personal business matters.”
He admitted the trip was “a poor decision” and apologized for travelling out of the country during the pandemic. Tanner left the country on Dec. 26, the day Ontario went into full lockdown.
In a statement released last week, Burton admitted approving the trip to deal with “an urgent property matter” and threw his support behind the Chief.
Burton’s resignation from the board comes as Halton police are dealing with the on-duty death of officer Michael Tidball due to medical reasons.
Oakville councillor Jeff Knoll, the police board’s vice-chair, will assume the role of acting chair.
On Twitter, Knoll said a special board meeting has been called for Friday to address Tanner’s travel to Florida.
“The Chief returned home Sunday and has started his 14-day quarantine,” Knoll noted.
Friday’s meeting will be closed to the public.