NORTH BAY -- Mattawa Mayor Dean Backer is having his pay suspended for 90 days after an investigation by the integrity commissioner found he made repeated attempts to prevent a family member who works for the town from being disciplined.

Multiple witnesses said Backer also made threats to fire the supervisor who had disciplined his family member. The mayor's interference and insistence that the town's chief administrative officer, Raymond Belanger, intervene, led Belanger to retire.

Integrity commissioner Shawn Mahoney's report also said Belanger told him that Backer, a civilian member of the Ontario Provincial Police, threatened to have the public works supervisor pulled over by police.

In a meeting in Belanger's office March 17, 2020, staff could hear Backer shouting at the CAO, and he had slammed the door loudly as he entered the CAO's office.

Belanger said Backer had told him, “I’ll get him, I’ll get the OPP to do a breathalyzer on him one morning,” referring to the public works supervisor. "If you can’t do it, I’m at the top of the food chain and I’ll get the necessary votes. If that guy thinks he is going to get me? I’m going to get him."

Backer denied making the threats, the report said, but "multiple witnesses described consistent details of the threats made by Mayor Backer regarding the public works supervisor’s employment with the town being terminated."

"Get rid of him, whatever it takes,” one witness heard the mayor say. "I will get council on my side to make sure (the public works supervisor) doesn’t have a job here anymore.”

In Ontario municipalities, the CAO is in charge of managing staff; elected politicians are not allowed to intervene. But Backer demanded changes to the discipline letter given to his family member – and demanded he receive a copy.

"The CAO had the public works supervisor amend the letter," Mahoney's report said. "The letter was then given to Mayor Backer."

By doing so, the mayor was ordering the CAO to violate the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the report said.

“I cannot say that he told me ‘you have to fire him,’ but I’m smart enough to know this guy’s got to go," Belanger told the integrity commissioner. "I was NOT prepared to do that. I couldn’t live with myself.”

The CAO decided to retire shortly after the March 17 incident.

"This was not the first time Mayor Backer had interfered in workplace matters related to his family," Mahoney's report said. "The CAO advised that he had worked with Mayor Backer’s family member for 20 years and that Mayor Backer has used his position more than once when it came to his family member.

"Based on the evidence before us, Mayor Backer is serious about this and has allowed his personal relationship with his family member to cloud his judgment," the report added.

Mahoney concluded Backer had violated the town's code of conduct, the Municipal Act, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, confidentiality and privacy rules when he accessed confidential employment records and unduly used his influence to intervene on behalf of a family member.

Mahoney recommended that Backer's pay be suspended for a period of 90 days, or 30 days for each breach. He also recommended the mayor make a public apology to the former CAO and the public works supervisor.

Mattawa council voted 4-2 this week to suspend his pay for 90 days. Backer addressed the situation before it was discussed at length between councillors, with a final decision being made before the meeting ended.

Although big news in Mattawa, some residents said the punishment was excessive.

“I think that’s a bit harsh,” said Marg Robitaille. “I mean, everybody makes mistakes. Everybody loses their temper once in a while. We’ve got to accept that.”

Garry Larocque said an apology would have been enough.

“Apologize for what he did, but other than that I don’t think it’s a big deal and I think he shouldn’t be punished,” he said. “He’s been the mayor for the past 20 years and as far as I’m concerned, he’s done a very good job.”

Resident Doreen LaRush said everyone makes mistakes.

“Things can happen," LaRush said. "People are human and we have nothing negative to say about Dean.”

Backer still has to make his public apology to both the former CAO and the public works supervisor.

CTV News reached out to the mayor and councillors for comment and didn’t receive a response before publication time.