Russ Wyatt, the councilor representing Transcona, is refusing to publicly apologize to former Winnipeg chief executive Michael Jack after an integrity commission report found comments he made about Jack and another civil servant are “offensive, disrespectful and an attack”.

“I’m going to stand up and speak my mind, and I’m not apologizing,” Wyatt told CTV News on Friday. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The integrity commissioner’s report, by Edmonton-based investigator Jamie Pytel with Kingsgate Legal, found Wyatt’s comments in the media about Jack, who is named as a complainant in the report, were “an attempt to use his authority to to intimidate. coercing or influencing Jack to fire an employee.

It also found that Wyatt’s comments cast doubt on Jack’s professional ability and were a personal attack that amounted to harassment.

Wyatt said Friday that he told CTV News he was speaking his mind, which he was elected to do by the citizens of his community.

“We have an open issue that has been discussed in the media related to the fact that the city just lost a lawsuit that cost the taxpayers of Winnipeg $5 million and the employee involved, who is still employed by the city, is not in administrative leave, it’s still there like nothing happened,” Wyatt said. “Zero accountability and I called our CAO at the time to be held to account for this.”

The investigator found these actions violated the Code of Conduct for Winnipeg Councilors and recommended sanctions, including a public apology acknowledging the report’s findings and that City Council issue a public reprimand to Wyatt if he does not comply before the next council. meet.

The report refers to Wyatt’s comments that were published in a media article dated August 3, 2023, titled “Winnipeg councilor calls for top civil servant to be fired”.

The article refers to a case in which a judge found two city employees responsible for delaying development efforts at the former Parker Lands, and the 2023 ruling ordered the city to pay $5 million in damages to the developer.

The city appealed the decision to the Court of King’s Bench. Jack stepped down in June 2024 and was recently appointed the province’s deputy minister of business, mining, trade and job creation.

Wyatt said Friday that he is now considering legal options to file a lawsuit against Pytel, the investigator and author of the report, for publishing statements about him using language such as “coercion and harassment.”

“I won’t let that lie; this needs to be resolved,” he said.

Pytel said in an email to CTV News on Friday that he has not heard back at this time.

CTV News has reached out to Jack for comment and is awaiting a response.

The recommendations of the integrity commissioner’s report are on the agenda for November 21^St city ​​council meeting.