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This article was published 15/5/2018 (862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A committee meeting that was cancelled earlier this month when two councillors failed to attend has prompted Mayor Brian Bowman to ask council to crack down on members who miss meetings without legitimate reasons.

But the councillors targeted by Bowman said they did, in fact, have legitimate reasons and criticized Bowman for unfairly singling them out.

The mayor brought a motion to executive policy committee Tuesday that would note a councillor’s absence in the minutes as "unauthorized" if the reason does not comply with accepted criteria.

Bowman identified Couns. Jason Schreyer, Janice Lukes and Jeff Browaty as the guilty parties; all three have regularly voted against the mayor on various issues.

"I know there’s been some frustration by some of my council colleagues, and this is one way in which we can just provide greater openness and transparency on those meetings," Bowman told reporters. "It is disappointing to hear when meetings can’t be held because of lack of attendance by members of council."

Bowman said he decided to deal with the issue after Lukes and Schreyer failed to attend the May 3 environment committee meeting, resulting in its cancellation.

Bowman singled out Browaty for missing the Jan. 25 council meeting while he was vacationing in Mexico and added that Schreyer also hadn’t attended any of the monthly meetings of the Winnipeg Food Council this year.

Leaves of absence are given on a councillor’s behalf when they miss a meeting because they are away on official city business, ill or injured, attending a private personal or family matter or for extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances.

For absences noted as "other official city business," it’s rare for details to be provided at meetings.

Bowman’s motion would require the "other official city business" to be clearly stated.

Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) said he was surprised to be singled out, adding he has an "excellent" attendance record and he notified city hall for most of the missed meetings. He said he missed others to deal with unexpected personal family issues.

Attending meetings of the food council is "a priority, but when I have other priorities, I have to pick and choose," he said, explaining that constituency issues come before food council meetings.

Although it appears Bowman is targeting him without finding out the facts, he said he will support Bowman’s motion.

"I’ve got no problem with the motion — it’s just got nothing to do with me," he said. "The only problem I have with it is the idea that it’s because of me; that’s just absolutely unfounded and another surprising distortion but not surprising anymore."

Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) told committee chairman Coun. Brian Mayes ahead of time that she wouldn’t be at the May 3 meeting because she was attending a developers’ conference. Schreyer didn't attend because he said he was home caring for his son, who was ill.

Bowman said he wasn’t raising the absence issue in regards to Coun. Russ Wyatt, who has been in drug rehab treatment since January and has not attended any council or committee meeting since then.

Mayes said he’s been frustrated with Schreyer’s repeated failure to attend the past five meetings of the Winnipeg Food Council, which was established in November and held its first meeting in January.

Browaty (North Kildonan) said he missed the January council meeting because the date was set after he had booked a family vacation.

He originally booked the vacation time in September to ensure he could attend the January council meeting, which has traditionally been held on the last Wednesday of that month, but when the schedule came out, the meeting was set six days earlier, and it was too late to change his plans.

"I can’t think of any profession where if you miss one meeting on a rare occasion, it’s the end of the world," Browaty said, adding he has missed meetings while attending other official city business and to deal with personal family matters.

Browaty said he, too, supports Bowman’s motion, adding it reflects current practices for leaves of absence.

"Being a councillor is our full-time job. You shouldn’t be missing council meetings haphazardly," he told reporters. "I never have and I have no issue with the public knowing about the stated reason for being absent."

Browaty, who has openly speculated about challenging Bowman for mayor in the Oct. 24 election, said there’s been no love lost between the two recently, but would not say that’s why Bowman had singled him out.

"I don’t sense a lot of love from the mayor these days," he said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca