Maple Ridge city Councillor Ahmed Yousef is facing six criminal charges, and has stepped away from his duties at city hall, at least temporarily.
Ahmed Antar Yousef Mohamed faces a charge of pointing a firearm, four charges of assault, and one charge of unsafe storage of a firearm.
He was to appear at Port Coquitlam Provincial Court on Monday morning, but that appearance was put over until June 9.
"Effective today, Monday, May 12, I'm going to take leave to focus my time and efforts on some personal matters," wrote Yousef on his Facebook. "I hope to take my seat back at council at the earliest possible opportunity. Thank you for your understanding."
In 2022, the province introduced legislative changes to deal with elected officials who are charged or convicted of crimes. The amendments require an elected official to be put on mandatory paid leave when charged with a criminal offence, until the criminal process is complete, or the charges are resolved.
The changes also disqualify officials convicted of an indictable offence. The charges against Yousef, as serious criminal offences, are proceeding by indictment.
Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy had no comment on Yousef's legal situation on Monday morning, and explained one councillor being on leave will not impede the mayor and five other councillors from continuing to conduct the city's business. However, in the event of a tied 3-3 vote, a motion before council would be lost.
Ruimy noted a former city councillor, Kiersten Duncan, took an extended leave for illness during the last term, and city business continued.
There has been a lot of agreement at the council table this term, he said.
"We've been very good working together, and I don't anticipate any issues," said Ruimy.
Yousef, 47, was first elected to city council in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. He received more votes than any other councillor with 6,028 electors choosing him.
He was also a federal election candidate, taking the Liberal nomination and running for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge MP in 2021, when Conservative Marc Dalton won the riding.
None of the charges against Yousef have been tested in court, and a person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
