By Lara Fominof @fomsy1 on Twitter

Claresholm Councillor files human rights complaint against the town

Feb 2, 2018 | 12:10 PM

CLARESHOLM – Claresholm Mayor Doug MacPherson believes it’s a first.
 
After first telling town council at a meeting she was injured in an alleged home invasion nearly three weeks ago, Councillor Donna Courage has now filed an official human rights complaint with the province, against the Town of Claresholm.
 
MacPherson says while he can’t discuss the contents of the complaint, he says it was quite unexpected.
 
“I’ve never encountered this in Claresholm. Claresholm is a very, well, it’s a nice place to be. Very non-violent, low crime rate. This is all kind of new for this town.”
 
He says Courage continues to attend meetings, and all members of Council are trying to keep relations professional and civil. He adds that the alleged home invasion was a terrible thing and he’s hoping RCMP get to the bottom of it.
 
“I want people to know that this is a friendly, vibrant town and this one instance of violence does not define this town. I mean it’s… we have a great population, we have all the facilities in this town and people get along as a rule. This is a great town to live in.”
 
Local RCMP are investigating, after Courage says a man forced his way into her home on January 20, while her husband was away, and after a group of her friends had left her for the evening.
 
She says the man pushed her against a wall, and told her “keep quiet, leave town.”
 
Courage believes the alleged attack occurred because of her push for government accountability and transparency.
 
RCMP Corporal Laurel Scott says the investigation into the alleged attack is still open, and they are following up on a few tips. At this point there have been no arrests.
 
It’s not clear how long the process into the human rights complaint will take, however, according to the Alberta Human Rights Commission website, the respondent has 30 days to make a response to the complaint. If they think the complainant is wrong or there has been a misunderstanding and there was no discrimination, they have to explain why. The respondent is also asked to suggest how the matter might be resolved.
 
From there, the response is shared with the complainant and conciliation or investigation further into the matter may occur. There could also be a settlement, or the matter could be referred to the Human Rights Tribunal, or it could simply be dismissed.
 
MacPherson says the matter has now been handed over to the town’s attorneys.