RIDEAU LAKES — Rideau Lakes council has voted to maintain virtual meetings and move ahead with workplace safety recommendations following a tense and at times disorderly debate at the April 27 committee of the whole meeting.
The decision came after a failed attempt by Coun. Paula Banks to defer the item, arguing a key report tied to council conduct and workplace safety was incomplete.
The recommendations stem from a review by the Joint Health and Safety Committee following a work refusal during an Oct. 6, 2025 council meeting. The committee had advised that meetings remain virtual and that councillors complete training related to workplace safety and de-escalation.
Training was delivered earlier this year by the Public Services Health and Safety Association, which later provided a report with recommendations.
Council voted against deferring the item, setting the stage for a heated exchange among members.
At one point, chief administrative officer Shellee Fournier intervened.
“The irony right now is beyond me,” Fournier said, noting council was discussing staff safety while members were talking over one another and struggling to maintain decorum. She warned that if order was not restored, she would end the meeting.
Banks maintained the report did not reflect the full scope of concerns raised by council.
“I do not believe this report is accurate and the full picture,” she said.
Debate escalated as Banks raised broader concerns about council dynamics, prompting interruptions, points of privilege and procedural disputes among members.
Following the failed deferral, council considered an amendment brought forward by Coun. Dustin Bulloch to establish a working group of councillors to review the recommendations and develop an action plan.
Bulloch said the move would allow council to address the committee’s concerns while also incorporating additional issues raised by members, while emphasizing the urgency of the matter.
“We need to take this very seriously … we run the risk of having employees invoking the right to refuse unsafe work,” he said.
Council supported the amendment.
The main motion, as amended, was then approved. It directs council to accept the health and safety recommendations, maintain virtual meetings and establish a working group to guide implementation.
Appointments to the working group are expected to be made at a future meeting.
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This is clearly a dysfunctional council . 30 plus integrity reports . Provincial intervention ,health and safety intervention, law suites against each other ,training for de-escalation, no order . Children behave better. The Province needs to suspend or disband this council before someone gets hurt . All this on the backs of the tax payer . It is like a bad reality show ,immature, unprofessional and frankly quite disturbing. Shameful .