A Code of Conduct complaint against Rideau Lakes Mayor Arie Hoogenboom cost the township $6,765, plus HST, before being dismissed by the township’s Integrity Commissioner.
“It is clear in the ruling that no violations or contraventions of the Code of Conduct as alleged by the complainant have been found,” Hoogenboom told committee of the whole Monday, July 13 after councillors were presented with the commissioner’s report.
Hoogenboom described the complaint as an attempt to discredit him, saying it resulted in unnecessary expense to taxpayers. He said the complaint generated more than 100 pages of submissions and estimated it was the 31st Integrity Commissioner complaint filed during the current term of council.
“The complainant failed in this process completely,” he said, adding he believed the person responsible should “step forward and accept the responsibility” for what he called a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Clerk Mary Ellen Truelove said she had anticipated the question of the cost of this complaint and calculated the total in advance.
The report, prepared by Integrity Commissioner Ellen Fry and dated June 26, concluded Hoogenboom did not contravene the township’s Code of Conduct in relation to allegations he failed to properly inform council about environmental compliance issues at Lower Beverley Lake Park.
The complaint, filed Jan. 29, 2026, alleged the mayor should have informed council before Feb. 2 that the park was out of compliance with environmental and sewage regulatory requirements. The complainant alleged his conduct violated several provisions of the township’s Code of Conduct.
Fry’s investigation included written submissions from both parties, a review of council agendas, minutes, meeting videos and related documents, and interviews with the complainant, the mayor, the township’s chief administrative officer and clerk.
The commissioner found council had been kept informed about Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks concerns regarding Lower Beverley Lake Park through emails from staff, annual reports, board reports and council agenda packages dating back to 2022. Those records documented ongoing work with the ministry to address outstanding engineering requirements and delays attributed to the engineering consultant retained by the park.
A central issue in the complaint involved Hoogenboom’s statements that the park was “in compliance” with ministry requirements.
The complainant argued those statements were inaccurate because work required by the ministry had not been completed. Hoogenboom maintained the park remained in compliance because it continued operating with the ministry’s knowledge while working through the required approvals and improvements.
“The issue is largely one of semantics,” Fry wrote, concluding both interpretations of compliance were legitimate. She added it would have been helpful if the mayor had consistently explained what he meant by compliance, but found council had already received sufficient information to understand the situation.
Fry also found councillors had received updates about the park from township staff on numerous occasions beginning in 2022 and therefore did not rely solely on information provided by the mayor.
Committee unanimously recommended council receive the report.
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