LAURIE WEIR

Rideau Lakes Township is grappling with a series of Integrity Commissioner (IC) investigations that have led to financial penalties for two councillors, intensifying divisions within the council.

At a council meeting on Monday, Oct. 7, four IC reports were on the agenda — three investigated by Integrity Commissioner Bill Hunter, with a fourth by Tony Fleming, set for release on Oct. 15. The most notable cases involved Coun. Paula Banks and Deputy Mayor Marcia Maxwell, both facing pay suspensions for their conduct.

Banks’ Second Suspension This Year

Banks faces a 16-day suspension of pay following a complaint about remarks she made during a May 6 council meeting. She referred to the Rideau Lakes Grassroots Group (RLGG) as a “hate group” and accused them of harassment while defending herself against previous accusations. In his Sept. 19 report, Hunter found her comments extreme and unsubstantiated, stating she provided no evidence for her harassment claims.

While Banks did not deny the allegations, she reiterated her belief that the RLGG has divided the council. 

Hunter concluded her statements breached decorum, leading to the recommended 16-day pay suspension.

The meeting became tense when Banks demanded an apology from Hunter, accusing him of treating her unfairly during a closed session. Hunter, appearing via video, said, “If Coun. Banks was offended by the closed session, I apologize for that.” 

Banks rejected the apology, saying it should not contain the word “if.”

Banks also raised concerns about errors in the IC report, stating that details unfavourable to her were left in while other comments were redacted. She mentioned incidents of harassment, including an event where her husband, Coun. Jeff Banks, was spat on during an RLGG delegation at council. 

Hunter said these incidents were outside the Code of Conduct investigation and should be reported to police.

Coun. Sue Dunfield voiced support for Banks, opposing the suspension and stating, “I think this woman has suffered enough” and encouraged her peers to get behind her.

Coun. Jeff Banks Cleared

Coun. Jeff Banks, implicated in the same investigation, was cleared of any violations. While he supported his wife’s comments, the IC found he had not made any inflammatory remarks. He criticized the council’s growing division, linking it to a past vote rejecting the Portland hub project, and accused Mayor Arie Hoogenboom of failing to address the RLGG’s impact on council.

“Your reluctance to call out this group or Coun. Maxwell has me suspect of your leadership skills and my confidence in you,” he said. “This behaviour by Coun. Maxwell has to stop or nothing short of a resignation will be acceptable.”

Banks then asked for a confidence vote regarding Maxwell, which Paula Banks seconded. 

Hoogenboom said he wasn’t prepared to accept that criticism. “Or from your spouse … I’m trying to do what I can do to try and keep this thing together a little bit, but I have to tell you, it is a challenge. And there is enough fault to go around for everyone.”

Hoogenboom said he hasn’t talked about the hub for months, “yet you keep bringing it up. Please set it aside,” he stressed.

“What you are doing is escalating the problem instead of trying to resolve it,” the mayor said, “and if you keep talking about it, we’re never going to get through the next two years, Mr. Banks, never!” 

Hoogenboom said it wasn’t his leadership in question, but “the inability of this council to get along.”

Maxwell’s Dual Investigations

Deputy Mayor Marcia Maxwell was the subject of two investigations. The first involved her alleged support for the RLGG and the distribution of a “blue flyer” containing personal contact information of five councillors and township information. While the IC found Maxwell had distributed the flyer, it did not violate confidentiality or misuse of township resources. However, her actions were deemed to have brought the municipality into disrepute, resulting in a recommendation of an eight-day suspension of pay.

A delegate, Jordan DeLong, criticized Maxwell’s suspension as too lenient, stating, “Grass Roots is getting out of control,” and calling for council unity.

Maxwell defended her actions, refusing to apologize and emphasizing residents’ rights to voice concerns. She defended her actions, stating, “I’m not going to apologize for supporting my constituents. There is nothing to apologize for. I didn’t lie here. Anytime I was asked, I just didn’t respond because of the harassing and bickering.” She added that residents have the right to express their concerns without being labeled as hostile.

A second report focused on Maxwell’s behaviour during council meetings, where tensions had escalated. Although Hunter initially recommended an eight-day suspension, council voted to extend it to 42 days — 21 days for each investigation.

Upcoming IC Report

A fourth IC report concerning Coun. Linda Carr will be presented at the Oct. 15 meeting. 

Previous investigations have cost the township between $4,000 and $20,000, according to CAO Shellee Fournier. She said the invoices for the latest reports have not yet been received.

IC Termination

Council also gave notice to terminate IC Hunter’s services. Reacting to the decision, Hunter commented, “It will be the third IC in 12 months, but that’s good. We’ll see where that goes.”To view this meeting in its entirety, please visit the township’s website.