Altered agenda as council works through divisions
At the Aug. 10 regular council meeting, Lakeland Ridges councillors voted in Ward 4 Councillor Tanya Cloutier as the municipality’s new deputy mayor. The position was vacant after Ward 3 Councillor Stephen Manuel resigned on Aug. 6.
Manuel was the second councillor to step down in less than a month, after Elizabeth Luimes resigned on July 13.
In a Facebook post, Cloutier expressed her gratitude to Councillor Lisa Antworth, who nominated her, and thanked her fellow councillors for their vote of confidence.
“I care deeply about Lakeland Ridges and the people who call it home,” she said during the short Zoom meeting. “I am committed to working alongside our mayor, fellow councillors and staff to move our municipality forward in a positive and productive way, as I have been as councillor for Ward 4 and will continue.”
Cloutier noted that this council’s term has had a rocky beginning.
“We may not have gotten off to as effective a start as we could have, but I truly believe in our ability to come together, learn from what hasn’t worked, and show the people of Lakeland Ridges what we can accomplish when we work as a team. We need to celebrate our wins, learn from our challenges, and always remember why we are here.”
The Aug. 10 meeting was scheduled to have a larger agenda; however, Mayor Greg Grant announced on Aug. 9 that the agenda would be amended and held via Zoom. The decision was made after “a request from Lakeland Ridges councillors.”
The session was intended to allow council members to address concerns freely, strengthen communication, improve working relationships, and foster a positive environment.
Councillor Rhonda Alward gave a speech about council’s need to “be serious about doing the work necessary to bring council and community together and begin the work we are elected to do.”
Her statement came after a chaotic start to the term, during which some argued over a lack of communication and respect among the council members.
“While I am thankful we will receive a workshop on good governance processes, as they are foundational for our future of our council, success of equal importance, as stressed before, is a facilitated time we need to spend to build and rebuild respectful, trustful relationships and how to effectively deal with conflict,” said Alward.
She noted that the mayor’s Aug. 9 statement didn’t accurately reflect what the council will do to foster cooperation and understanding.
“We will receive between two and four hours of facilitated training related to good governance,” Alward said.
Since June, meetings have had arguments among members, errors in council procedures, and interruptions from attendees.
There have also been ongoing disputes about the municipal office move due to asbestos issues at the Meductic Community Centre.
