Chiarelli makes 1st council appearance since surgery

Embattled College ward Coun. Rick Chiarelli appeared frail as he arrived in a wheelchair to briefly attend Wednesday's Ottawa city council meeting, his first since undergoing heart bypass surgery in mid-December.

Chiarelli, who's facing multiple accusations of workplace harassment in an ongoing integrity commissioner investigation, was absent from city hall for much of last fall, appearing once in November and again on Dec. 11 during the final budget debate.

Two days later, Chiarelli released a note stating he was going into the Ottawa Heart Institute for open-heart surgery.

Last fall, a CBC investigation reported the stories of eight women who accused the councillor of inappropriate behaviour.

One job applicant alleged Chiarelli asked her about going braless to work events, while another said the councillor asked if she had ever considered stripping.

A former employee said Chiarelli would pressure her to wear revealing outfits and took her to a strip club to spy on another councillor.

Chiarelli has denied all the allegations.

Chiarelli not asking for leave

Now that Chiarelli has attended council for 20 minutes, he will not have to show up again until the end of May, as per provincial legislation.

In late October, council took the unprecedented move of denying Chiarelli's request for an indeterminate leave of absence. The councillor had provided a doctor's note saying he should be on leave until Dec. 1. The note said the councillor had fainted, was undergoing "cardiac assessment" and was under stress.

Chiarelli had never mentioned his impending heart surgery until Dec. 13. His wife, Lida, has since tweeted that Chiarelli also experienced a post-operative infection that required treatment at the heart institute.

Despite these serious medical issues, Chiarelli has not asked for another leave of absence, which is within his rights. Chiarelli declined to speak with reporters on his way out of city hall, flanked by family members. At one point, Lida told CBC: "Can you not leave him alone?"

After Chiarelli left city hall Wednesday, Lida tweeted her husband had "no confidence whatsoever" that council would make an "objective" decision to grant him leave. Hence, the councillor felt he had "no option" but to attend Wednesday's meeting.

But Mayor Jim Watson said he's confident Chiarelli would be granted a leave if he asked for it.

"To the best of my knowledge, [Chiarelli] has not approached anyone, certainly in my office or in the clerk's office, with respect to a second letter" requesting leave, Watson told reporters. "My sense is, given his time at the heart institute there would probably be the willingness on the part of council to give him that medical leave."

Integrity commissioner's investigation ongoing

Earlier this month, council heard integrity commissioner Robert Marleau's investigation into the allegations made against Chiarelli has stalled because the councillor had first refused to co-operate, then had surgery.

Marleau said he will give Chiarelli "a reasonable amount of time" to respond to the formal complaints against him, but is also prepared to conclude the investigation without hearing from the College ward representative.

Chiarelli has argued through his lawyer that the allegations should not be heard by the integrity commissioner, and has said he plans to challenge Marleau's jurisdiction in court.