Mayor Lajoie to pursue education in local governance following an Integrity Commissioner’s report found the Casselman mayor violated the municipal Code of Conduct and failed to follow proper council meeting procedures.
Due to the cancellation of Casselman’s Council meeting on July 9, the Integrity Commissioner’s report was not presented by was still made public along with the agenda of the day.
The report states that on May 22, 2024, the Integrity Commissioner received a complaint against Mayor Lajoie which was made in two parts.
The first part of the complaint stated that Mayor Lajoie violated the Code of Conduct during a closed session of Council held on May 7 where she insinuated wrongdoing on the part of a fellow member of Council. The member of Council attempted to correct the record and asked that the mayor retract her statement, Mayor Lajoie instead ejected the Member from the meeting.
The report states that Section 5 of the Code of Conduct was breached when she “failed to follow proper procedures”, but not for the comments made.
Although the Lajoie’s actions breached the Code, the report states that it was not done in a way that was motivated by malice and that she made “commendable efforts to fulfill her role and abide by all requirements of the Code and the Act.”
The report indicates that the root of the incident is a lack of knowledge of procedure, which also appears repeatedly in other examples provided in the investigation.
It was acknowledged that it is natural learning curve for a new mayor, but a “zealous pursuit of the rules and proper procedure along with a deficient understanding of such procedure has become a problematic combination.”
For that reason, it was recommended that Council require the Mayor develop a training and education plan for municipal operations, council conduct, and chairing meetings.
The mayor should commence any courses or training within six months of July 9, when the report was made public.
The second part of the complaint was concerning social media posts made by the Mayor which provided highlights for of Council meetings. The complaint alleged that some of the posts contained false information, failed to uphold respect for Council decision making, and pre-empted proper announcements by staff. The complaint was dismissed since the Mayor’s posts did not breach the Code of Conduct.
The Mayor’s Statement
On Wednesday, July 17, Mayor Lajoie addressed the Integrity Commissioner’s Report on her Facebook account.
Regarding the first part of the complaint, she states she will pursue education in local governance through Dalhousie University, as well as training through Leadership Féminin Prescott-Russell‘s CAPP program.
“This commitment to continuous improvement reflects my dedication to serving Casselman with excellence,” she wrote in the statement.
Lajoie adds that during the closed session on May 7, the councillor in question stood up and raised their voice at her. Even with repeated and calm requests for them to stop, the behavior continued, according to Lajoie.
“While the council may not have perceived this behavior as threatening or intimidating, I did. In a climate where aggression is on the rise in politics, it is imperative to respect the feelings and experiences of those who are subjected to such behavior. Maintaining high standards of respect and decorum is essential for effective governance, benefiting everyone in our community,” Mayor Lajoie stated. “There are procedures in place to ensure everyone has the right to speak, and there is no justification for anyone to shout during council meetings.”
She calls the behaviour presented by the councillor as “unacceptable on our council as long as I am mayor.”
Mayor Lajoie goes on to say that she will work towards finding effective solutions to maintain order even in challenging situations.
She states that although she respects the Integrity Commissioner’s process, she believes that resolving issues internally, when possible, will foster a more collaborative and trusting environment and would have preferred the opportunity to resolve this internally before it escalated.
For the second part of the complaint, although she was not found to have breached the Code of Conduct, Mayor Lajoie acknowledges her right to freedom of speech regarding my social media posts she will continue to “use my voice to hold myself and the council accountable” and to communicate with residents of Casselman.
Mayor Lajoie is inviting residents to the Casselman city hall on Wednesday, July 24, at 6 p.m. to give the public the opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and engage directly with her.
“I believe in the power of open dialogue and am committed to rebuilding trust within our community,” she stated.
Mayor Lajoie had plans to contest the findings but decided against it since she would have to hire a lawyer and did not want to “waste any more taxpayer money to pursue this complaint.”
“At the end of the day, I know what happened and know that this councillor standing up and shouting at me was not, and never will be acceptable, especially in this day and time. I expect more from council than for them to lose their temper because they misunderstood something I said. I will continue to hold high standard of both myself and our council. Our community deserves nothing less,” she stated in an email exchange with The Reflet.
