Woodstock’s embattled mayor, who faces sexual assault charges, has remained politically active while on leave, drawing the ire of the head of the London Abused Women’s Centre.
Woodstock’s embattled mayor, who faces sexual assault charges, has remained politically active while on leave, drawing the ire of the head of the London Abused Women’s Centre.
Weeks after deputy mayor Connie Lauder temporarily took over his duties at Woodstock city council, Trevor Birtch attended and spoke at an Oxford County council meeting last week.
“He remains the elected representative of county council; he remains the elected mayor of Woodstock until such time that he either steps down or becomes disqualified under the Municipal Act,” said Woodstock city hall’s top bureaucrat, David Creery.
Birtch, due in court May 2, is accused of assaulting a woman between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, and accused of sexually assaulting her with choking between Dec. 10 and 13, 2021.
“I understand the mayor has not actually stepped down or gone on a leave in a way somebody would take a leave from work; he’s still there,” said Jennifer Dunn, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre, who spoke to Woodstock city council at its March 17 meeting.
Weeks ago, Lauder took over as chair of Woodstock council because Birtch asked her to “until further notice.”
“He’s taking time off,” Lauder told The Free Press at the time. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s innocent until proven guilty. There is nothing else he has to reveal to me or anyone of us.”
Dunn, who describes sexual assault “as the only serious crime whose numbers aren’t going down,” said she recommended more training for Woodstock council, and to contact Woodstock or London agencies to get information and training on the impacts of sexual assault.
No one has contacted her, she said.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act, politicians facing criminal charges can stay in office even if they’re convicted. Only a jail sentence disqualifies a municipal politician from remaining in office. Under the Municipal Act, city council can’t do anything about a member being absent for less than three months.
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Most city councilors have remained silent since the charges were laid, Lauder included, on the advice of their lawyer, she said. “There’s nothing more we can say. We’re going to carry on our duties, same as we have done before.”
But Dunn said by not talking about the charges, council is “sweeping it under the rug.
“At a certain point in time, women and girls need to know they are supported by people who govern their city and that is not happening,” she said. “City council has to have a voice, too.
“They are public servants; they are serving their constituents to make sure their city is safe.”
Birtch, first elected mayor in 2014, did not return a request for comment. He has not spoken publicly about the charges since they were made public by The London Free Press in early February.
Elected as Woodstock’s mayor in 2014 – defeating then mayor Pat Sobeski and former mayor Michael Harding – Birtch was reelected in 2018, defeating challenger Shawn Shapton by nearly 1,800 votes.
A father of three, Birtch studied political science and business at Western University and worked as a financial analyst at the County of Oxford for 11 years before entering municipal politics, according to an online biography.