District of Sechelt council offers formal apology to SCRD

The District of Sechelt’s council says they extend their deepest apologies to the SCRD, and its involved staff members, for the absence of a formal public apology from mayor John Henderson. 

In an open letter sent today, council says they were made aware of a workplace incident involving Henderson and SCRD staff in April which led to the mayor stepping down as a director.

 They say although the mayor released a public statement on Nov. 16 about the incident indicating his regret, he has not offered a public apology to the SCRD. They hope council and the district can still foster a positive working relationship going forward. 

The District of Sechelt says they consider the matter closed and don’t intend to take any further action.   

In a media release last month, the SCRD said they appointed an independent investigator who determined Henderson breached the SCRD Respectful Workplace Policy and the code of conduct for directors.  

This led to a vote where the board elected to censure Henderson and ask him to step down as an alternate director.  

Henderson was accused of a short verbal outburst towards another SCRD staff member during a spring meeting.