Township CAO confirms legal notice matter remains personal, not municipal
RIDEAU LAKES — A legal notice sent to five Rideau Lakes councillors has been made public by Mayor Arie Hoogenboom and Councillors Marcia Maxwell and Ron Pollard, who say they have retained Dentons Canada LLP to address concerns about penalties imposed during an Oct. 6 council meeting.
The notice was delivered Nov. 21 to councillors Paula Banks, Jeff Banks, Linda Carr, Sue Dunfield and Deborah Hutchings.
On Dec. 9, Hoogenboom, Maxwell and Pollard issued a joint statement summarizing the concerns outlined in the notice. The statement says the trio believe penalties assigned during the Oct. 6 meeting were not made in good faith and should be withdrawn. It also states they are financing the legal action themselves.
The statement reads, in part: “We hereby release a recent letter prepared and sent by Dentons Canada LLP… This action is undertaken in the interests of public transparency and accountability.”
It continues: “It is our contention that these elected officials have not acted in good faith in applying Integrity Commission penalties and need to be held accountable personally.”
All five councillors were contacted by Hometown News on Dec. 10. Only Paula Banks responded but directed questions to the CAO. No additional responses were received.
Chief Administrative Officer Shellee Fournier confirmed to Hometown News on Dec. 10 that the correspondence is directed to the councillors in their individual capacity.
“The township solicitor provides legal advice to the municipality as a corporation,” she said. “Any response from those members would be at their own discretion.”
Fournier said council has not directed staff to seek legal advice and no special meeting has been called.
The full letter itself has not been placed before council and the allegations contained in the correspondence have not been tested in court.
The matter could come to council if the five councillors request township-funded legal representation or if a motion is brought to involve the municipal solicitor. At this stage, the township maintains the issue remains a personal dispute between elected officials and their legal counsel.
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