David Aspden is a retired Canadian politician and former police officer who served as the 45th

mayor of Barrie The mayor of Barrie is head of the governing body of the Barrie City Council. The current mayor is Alex Nuttall. The following is a list of mayors and reeves of Barrie: Reeves (1854–1870) * Jonathan Lane (1854–1855) * Thomas David Mc ...

from 2006 to 2010. Aspden defeated incumbent Mayor Robert J. Hamilton in the 2006 municipal election by a margin of 14,616 to 12,175 votes. Aspden was a police officer for over 20 years and a municipal councillor for nine years, representing Ward 2 before he was elected as mayor. He has been a member of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

for over 28 years, received the President's Award from the

Navy League of Canada The Navy League of Canada (french: Ligue navale du Canada) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1895 and incorporated in 1918. Originally formed to promote maritime issues to Canadians, the Navy League is the non-governmental partner of the De ...

and is the secretary and treasurer for the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards. On September 8, 2010, Aspden announced his intention to seek a second term in the city of Barrie, just two days before the close of nominations. On October 25, 2010, Jeff Lehman was elected the new

, succeeding Aspden who won 3.6% of the vote.

Barrie Police Services Board

In January 2007, while serving as

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Barrie Police Services Board, Aspden "wrote a character reference for Const. Brian Byblow in January in connection with an Ontario Police Services Act disciplinary hearing, which found Byblow guilty of discreditable conduct relating to a May 2005 incident". Aspden's fellow councillors passed a motion on April 30, 2007 referring the matter to the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services.

Trip to China

Aspden's trip to China in April 2007 attracted further controversy due to the alleged involvement of Chinese and Canadian land developers, as well as the Mayor's apparently secretive approach to the trip. After "

in camera ''In camera'' (; Latin: "in a chamber"). is a legal term that means ''in private''. The same meaning is sometimes expressed in the English equivalent: ''in chambers''. Generally, ''in-camera'' describes court cases, parts of it, or process wh ...

" meetings on April 23 and April 30, councillors passed a unanimous motion to request an OPP probe into the situation.

Lawsuit against the City of Barrie

In 2012 Aspden sued his former city for damages which occurred during a torch ceremony for the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

in 2009. Aspden alleged to have stepped on a wet surface at Barrie's city hall, which "caused his foot to suddenly, unexpectedly and without warning to slip thereby causing him to lurch, lose balance and fall forward to the

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

staircase". The former mayor is looking for damages in upwards of CA$2.5 million, as his "'injuries are so grievous that he cannot get relief from the severe, continuous and debilitating pain and he is usually so incapacitated that he lacks the strength in his shoulders, biceps, arms and hands to perform tasks as simple as twisting the cap off a bottle of water". Aspden dropped the injury claim in late 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspden, David Mayors of Barrie Year of birth missing (living people) Living people