Burnaby denies it is being investigated by ombudsperson

The City of Burnaby says its rezoning practices are not being investigated by the B.C. ombudsperson after the Burnaby First Coalition, a municipal political party, alleged they were.

On Tuesday, Burnaby First Coalition chair Helen Ward said "the Office of the Ombudsperson advised that an investigation would be launched"in a news release.

On Thursday, the City of Burnaby sent out a statementsaying the opposite was true.

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"The Office of the City Manager, City of Burnaby, received a phone call from the Office of the Ombudsperson, advising the city that, contrary to media reports, the city is not under investigation," the statement read.

"If, at any time, the Office of the Ombudsperson informs us the City of Burnaby is the subject of an investigation, the city will cooperate fully with the Office of the Ombudsperson in order to facilitate the investigation."

The alleged investigation stems from accusations from Burnaby First that the City of Burnaby never went through the proper consultation process required under the Local Government Act before rezoning for more density near some SkyTrain stations in 2010.

Ombudsperson's office won't vouch for either statement

BradDensmore, a spokesman for theOffice of the Ombudsperson, said he was unable to confirm the accuracy of either the city's or Burnaby First's statements.

He said the ombudsperson's office cannot divulge if any investigation is underway or not underway for privacy reasons.

When CBC asked Ward for proof of her allegations, she referred to a series of letters she received from the Office of the Ombudsperson.

One of those letters, from manager of investigations Linda Blackman, asks Ward to provide documents that support her allegations "in order to proceed further with your complaint."

Ward also claimsshe received a phone call from the ombudsperson's office advising her there would, in fact, be an investigation.

"They phoned me in May to say they would investigateand they would name the investigator some later day," she said. "I assume that means they're investigating."

"I don't exactly know what investigate consists of. I sent them my documentation last week and, I guess, but I don't know, that it's kind of an ongoing, back-and-forth process."

Phone messages left with the City of Burnaby seeking comment including clarification as to how they know they are not being investigated were not returned Thursday evening.