Coun. Joan Delaney resigns; Paula and Jeff Banks face monetary penalties

LAURIE WEIR

Tensions ran high at Rideau Lakes Township council on Monday, March 3, as a non-confidence motion against Mayor Arie Hoogenboom passed; 11 investigations by the integrity commissioner were debated, and a councillor resigned. 

Coun. Jeff Banks, seconded by Coun. Sue Dunfield, introduced the non-confidence motion, citing a lack of leadership from the mayor.

“This vote at the municipal level is completely irrelevant,” noted Hoogenboom.

The Bankses acknowledged the symbolic nature of the vote but chose to proceed, with J. Banks stating, “I want to say my vote of confidence in you is non-existent at this time. You allowed three delegations to berate us, ridicule us, slander us, defame us, embarrass us, and humiliate us with false accusations…”

J. Banks added that the “degrading comments to councillors cannot be ignored.” He argued that the mayor’s refusal to stop the degradation of councillors from outside interest groups led him to this point.

Coun. Sue Dunfield stated that the integrity commissioner had noted that discretion should be exercised at these meetings, maintaining that it was up to the chair of the meeting. “She (IC Ellen Fry) felt many times throughout these reports that this was not done,” Dunfield said to the mayor. “It is our hope that the leadership required by your position could be managed better.”

Coun. Marcia Maxwell called the non-confidence vote “inappropriate,” arguing that whenever the “mayor tries to take control of the meeting … the bylaws get changed.” She referred to this and other meetings as “disgusting.”

INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER REPORTS

The move follows months of turmoil, including an Integrity Commissioner (IC) investigation into several councillors that started last November — the majority of claims unfounded —and the ongoing debate over capital projects, mainly the municipal offices in Chantry.

These most recent 11 integrity reports stem from a council meeting in November when Wendy Alford, a spokesperson for a municipal watchdog group, Rideau Lakes Grassroots, presented a delegation. The claim was that five councillors, including the Bankses, Linda Carr, Debbie Hutchings, and Sue Dunfield, turned their backs on Alford as she spoke. When council later voted on whether to accept her report as information, the same five voted against it. 

Alford subsequently filed complaints with the Integrity Commissioner, as did other members of the community, resulting in the reports tabled on Monday at a cost of $17,000.

P. Banks was named in three investigations and was found guilty of one complaint that was common in the three investigations—turning her back on Alford. The IC recommended she issue an apology, but Maxwell introduced an amendment adding a 15-day suspension of pay, which passed 4-3. This was not a recommendation by the integrity commissioner. (Neither of the Bankses could vote on this as it was a conflict for them.) Two more motions followed, bringing Banks’ total suspension to 45 days, plus the apology—which she made during the meeting on Monday, as Alford was in the gallery.

J. Banks faced two investigations related to how he addressed Hoogenboom in his public communication on Nov. 12. For this he was found guilty. The integrity commissioner said the councillor “did not treat the mayor appropriately,” and recommended Banks apologize, which he did during the meeting. However, Maxwell successfully pushed for a 15-day suspension of pay per complaint, despite this not being part of the IC’s recommendation. The motions passed 4-3, with councillors Joan Delaney, Ron Pollard, Maxwell and Hoogenboom voting for the sanctions, leaving Banks with a 30-day suspension of pay in total.

The remaining three councillors—Carr, Dunfield, and Hutchings—also faced complaints for allegedly turning their backs on Alford. The IC recommended each apologize to Alford. However, when it came time to vote, each of the three separate motions failed after a 4-4 tie vote, as the Bankses were able to rejoin the discussion and the subsequent votes did not pass. Maxwell did not move for any further motions to up the ante for monetary penalties as the vote would not have passed anyway, Maxwell noted. 

PUBLIC REACTION

In a Facebook post by resident Emma Coolbridge, which got a lot of traction with various points of view, she expressed her concern over the toxic environment at the council meeting. “Very disturbed by the toxicity, dysfunction and even hatred shown toward each other at tonight’s Rideau Lakes council meeting,” she wrote, calling for external intervention. “I’m even more shocked by the comments here, including by elected officials. Hard to imagine a more severe schism other than threats of violence or lawsuits. Is this next?” 

Coolbridge, who also spoke with this publication about her post, criticized the lack of effort to prioritize the township’s interests over personal feelings, stating, “Zero trust. Zero room for broad consensus. She added that she hopes things will move along in a “more positive manner … but I’m dubious.”

DELANEY RESIGNS

In other township news, Coun. Delaney handed in her resignation on Tuesday, March 4. She posted on her “Joan on Council” Facebook page that she resigned as Ward 3 councillor.

“Everywhere I go people are asking me how I can stand what’s going on at the township level. They are appalled and disgusted. Well, the open meetings are just the tip of the iceberg,” she wrote. “The rest of the berg are closed meetings and emails. Monday’s meeting hit a new low. You might want to watch it, if you have the stomach for it.”

She went on to say that Rideau Lakes is an amazing area with lots of attractions and wonderful people.

“Kudos to our volunteers who go above and beyond. I would like to single out some but they are too numerous,” she stated. “I’ve attended events in all areas and know the movers and shakers. Thank you and keep up the good work.”

According to the township’s Chief Administrative Officer Shellee Founier, a by-election will be held in a few months. 

Fournier outlined the steps required by the Municipal Act. 

• Resignation and Vacancy: Under the Municipal Act, Section 259, if a member of council resigns, the resignation must be in writing to the Clerk (received on March 4, 2025). Section 262 requires the council to declare the seat vacant at the next meeting, which will occur on April 7, 2025, unless the vacancy is due to death (in which case it can be declared within two meetings).
• Filling the Vacancy: According to Section 263 (1), the municipality must fill the vacancy by either appointing someone who has consented or holding a by-election as per the Municipal Elections Act.
• Timeline for Action: As per Section 263 (5)(1) and the Township Procedural By-Law 2023-48, within 60 days of declaring the vacancy, the council must either appoint someone or pass a by-law to hold a by-election. Staff plans to present a by-law on May 5, 2025, to hold a by-election, with further details on timing to be provided later.

The last time a by-election was held was in May 2023 when Paula Banks was elected to fill the seat left vacant after the passing of former councillor Cathy Livingston. 

This is a developing story … more to come.