Why is the mayor of Wetaskiwin not allowed in city hall?

After a Wetaskiwin city council meeting on Jan. 13, Mayor Joe Branco was banned from city hall and from attending meeting in person.

Council voted on the decision after spending nearly two hours in a private session during the meeting.

But why?

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Global News has been working to find out why Branco has been banned, the answers have been hard to find.

Requests to the City of Wetaskiwin have been redirected to the mayor, who is on vacation.

Global News tried to call him a few times over the past week, but has been unable to reach him.

Branco is in his first term as mayor in the central Alberta city following the October 2025 election, but has previously served on council.

The silence over the issue has left residents of the city with more questions than answers.

Katherine Ludwig explains what information we have gathered in the video above.