Introduction to the Nov. 9 meeting includes welcome to newly elected councillors
Ongoing code of conduct complaints took up much of the Nov. 9 meeting of Lakeland Ridges, with an unprecedented amount of back-and-forth between council members.
The meeting began with Councillor Judy Cole declaring a point of order, then quoting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She said she was “invoking her right to freedom of speech, regardless of political discourse.”
Mayor Grant assured her that “nothing supersedes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
Councillor Rhonda Alward rebutted.
“When we signed on as councillors, we agreed to follow the code of conduct. A lot of these complaints have nothing to do with freedom of speech.”
Handling of complaints
The mayor again suggested holding off on any decisions until they were discussed with legal counsel. This suggestion sent groans through the gallery, prompting Councillor Lisa Antworth to comment.
“I think we just need to get this done; we’ve been hanging onto this since August.”
Deputy Mayor Tanya Cloutier and Councillor Steven had a similar priority: to work together as a council, show collaboration, respect, and grace to each other, and serve the members of Lakeland Ridges as they deserve while handling the complaints now and moving on.
With that, Mayor Greg Grant and Councillor Leonard Foster stepped away, citing conflicts of interest, and the motions carried forward.
Seven complaints were presented without detail. All complaints discussed named Mayor Grant. They were handled as follows;
Complaints 1 and 2: Submitted on July 20, signed by four separate people, with two signing one and two signing the other.
The complainants did not use the correct form when signing the complaint, allowing it to be dismissed without discussion if council voted in favour of taking that action.
Council chose to further investigate, with only Councillors Judy Cole and Glanville voting to dismiss the complaint, and Councillor Antworth abstaining, with the vote counting as a Nay.
Complaint 3: Submitted on July 20, signed by two people. Council unanimously voted to investigate further.
Complaint 4 & 7: This was the same complaint signed by 22 people collectively, submitted on Aug. 5 and 10.
The Council unanimously voted to investigate this complaint further.
Complaints 5 and 6: These are the same complaint, signed by 22 people, also submitted on August 5 and 10. The complaints were unanimously voted to investigate further.
Council must decide whether to investigate internally or hire an external consultant to guide the process.
After learning that an outside consultant would cost between $5,000 and $6,000, council voted against outside investigators by a final vote of five to two, with Councillors Cole and Barb Granville voting for outside guidance.
Water testing
Councillor Leonard Foster raised a concern from an unnamed resident who requested water testing at all municipal buildings in Lakeland Ridges and claimed their email went unanswered.
Guidelines suggest organic water testing every five years, with E. coli testing every six months unless a UV system is installed, in which case it can be tested once per year.
Councillor Foster claimed the resident was specifically looking for 2025 and early 2026 water results. He recommended a template to track system testing to ensure it is tested safely and in a timely manner going forward.
CAO Patterson insisted that the water was tested in all buildings in July 2026 and is on a set schedule going forward, with the results being sent to council
Councillor Alward raised concerns about unanswered emails, and Councillor Cummings presented an unanswered email from another resident. It was discovered that the email was not answered because of a delivery error, and the CAO, who was meant to respond, never received it.
Unfinished business
Unfinished business brought forward the topic of remuneration for the mayor, deputy mayor, and councillors; the third reading passed, and the by-law states that members may receive an annual raise based entirely on yearly consumer price reports.
The CAO spoke with the consultant from the Glenn Group hired to prepare an architectural plan for Meductic Park renovations. The consultant would like to meet with all available council members and the Meductic Park Committee to go over the proposed plan and budget on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Garbage bins
CAO Patterson spoke with a representative at Bellis, and the municipality’s garbage bins will arrive from Nova Scotia within the next week in two large sea cans. They will be located at the Canterbury Community Centre shortly after that, with no exact date yet announced. At that point, Bellis will deliver the bins throughout the municipality, and the sea cans will be donated to communities in Lakeland Ridges who could use them.
Next meeting
A special meeting will be held for unfinished business on Nov. 26, and a draft budget review will be held on Nov. 18. Both will be held at 7 p.m. at the Canterbury Community Centre.
