Rideau Lakes council seeks evidence from Mayor Arie Hoogenboom
RIDEAU LAKES — Rideau Lakes council has approved a motion directing further action if Mayor Arie Hoogenboom does not provide factual evidence supporting two previous claims he made about council and a public reprimand issued earlier this fall.
The motion, brought forward by Coun. Paula Banks at the Dec. 1 regular meeting, follows two decisions made in November requiring the mayor to substantiate statements he made at the council table and to CTV News reporter Ted Raymond.
Hoogenboom told councillors he would not comment “to any great extent,” noting the matter is with his solicitor.
“I believe there is no jurisdiction to reissue a reprimand,” he said. “My solicitor will be dealing with this, and it will be another example of the behaviour of certain members of this council being inappropriate.”
Last month, council passed two motions after the mayor stated during a meeting that “this council is completely dysfunctional” and later told CTV News that the public reprimand against him was “inaccurate” and the product of a “vindictive group of five.”
Both motions required the mayor to provide written evidence identifying any inaccuracies he believed were contained in the reprimand and to justify his comments about council’s performance.
Banks said the integrity commissioner vetted the reprimand before its release except for the closing council statement. She said the mayor had been given “every opportunity” to present facts showing what he believed to be incorrect.
Introducing the motion, Banks said council has faced “months and months of being targeted in the press with false and misinformation,” adding that reissuing the reprimand would reinforce the accuracy of the document if the mayor does not provide the required information within 10 days.
Coun. Jeff Banks supported the motion.
“There are too many misleading statements being made and accusations being made against the majority of council,” he said. “I don’t know why you keep using a group of five. That’s called the majority of council.”
Councillors Debbie Hutchings, Linda Carr, and Deputy Mayor Sue Dunfield also supported the motion.
If the mayor does not provide the requested factual evidence within 10 days, council will:
- Reissue the reprimand with a statement confirming it was vetted for factual accuracy before its original release.
- Add the special note directed by the integrity commissioner in the closed meeting.
- release the reprimand again to the media and staff, ensuring publication in the Review Mirror and Hometown News, and post it publicly on the township website.
- Keep the reprimand posted as a website pop-up until the mayor either provides evidence or formally retracts his statements.
The motion states that any written submission from the mayor regarding alleged inaccuracies will be forwarded to council for review and may be scheduled for a future meeting.
The motion was carried, 5-4 with yes votes from councillors Jeff and Paula Banks, Linda Carr, Debbie Hutchings, and Deputy Mayor Sue Dunfield.
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