Wetaskiwin mayor returning to city hall after being banned

The feud between the City of Wetaskiwin and its mayor, Joe Branco, found some middle ground on Tuesday, announcing they came to a court-approved interim agreement to lift his ban.

The court order states that Branco can officially return after he retakes a respectful workplace training course and once he’s back he will have to avoid contact with the complainant.

This comes several months after city council voted to ban Branco from attending city council meetings in person in mid-January.

Later on in July, Branco’s lawyer, Roberto Noce, released the city report that led to the ban . It alleged the mayor verbally harassed a female city employee, calling her names like sweetie, honey, and his girl. Branco admitted to most of those allegations.

Noce and Branco then called for a judicial review of the decision to ban him, and even though it’s now lifted, that legal process is still underway.