Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown alleges taxpayer dollars were used as “hush payments” to settle a case of alleged sexual harassment against Gurpreet Dhillon, Wards 9 and 10 Councillor Brampton.
During the press conference, Brown said a whistleblower came to him about the alleged payment in July, confirmed by the city CAO.
“We were informed at the time that there was a settlement regarding these allegations. And that, according to the city CAO, over $60,000 of taxpayer funds were involved,”
“I was unaware of any payments, and I was shocked that it was even possible,” Brown said. “City funds should never be used in this manner.”
When Y Media asked what the evidence behind these allegations was, Mayor Brown said he would be putting forward a motion for the full details of the settlement to be released at the planned city council meeting on Friday.
Mayor Brown added, “so there was a staff member, I’m told from the city CAO, who works in the risk insurance department was the one that executed this document. We need to get to the bottom of this. We need to know who was involved and who knew.”
“They thought it was under delegated authority, but for something as sensitive as allegations of sexual harassment and settling a claim like that, this can’t be done in silence. Councillors deserve to know,” added Brown.
Gurpreet Dhillon, Brampton Councillor for Wards 9 and 10, hit back at Patrick Brown’s allegations that taxpayer dollars were used as “hush payments” to settle a case of alleged sexual harassment against him.
Dhillon issued a statement calling Mayor Brown’s claims “politically motivated” and a way to distract the public from the mayor’s political “scandals, misappropriations and questionable activities.”
He adds that this is the “mayor’s latest attempt to gain control of Council so that the multitude of investigations ordered by Council into his scandals, misappropriations and questionable activities will never see the light of day.”
Dhillion mentioned he would “launch legal action against Patrick Brown for misfeasance in public office, abuse of power, bad faith and defamation.”
Dhillon added that he is calling on the City of Brampton’s legal department to respond directly to Brown’s allegations of hush money payments.
“I demand that this statement be made immediately and publicly. Patrick Brown has crossed the line, and residents deserve to know the truth.”
