Robert Fisher
Staff Reporter
KILLALOE – Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards mayor David Mayville flipped the script on integrity investigations during the Aug. 5 council meeting, publicly announcing he submitted a file to the integrity commissioner following the July 15 meeting.
Complaints to the integrity commissioner are typically confidential. The reason is to protect the complainant from acts of retribution by upset members of a council or local board. Integrity complaints are not even subject to freedom of information legislation.
Mayville announced, during the Aug. 5 meeting, that he had submitted a file to the integrity commissioner based on what he called, “a serious breach of procedure and governance,” following discussion of competing grant projects at the July 15 meeting.
Council faced a decision about two possible capital grants. One would see the township apply to build an accessible ramp at the front of the township office, while the other would have seen the township support a grant application by the Community Resource Centre (CRC) for an accessible boat launch on Brennans Creek.
Couns. Bil Smith and Maureen MacMillan; both employed by the CRC, declared a conflict of interest on the matter and left the council chamber for the duration of debate and the vote.
Community Development Co-ordinator Colton Charbonneau recommended to council that only one application be submitted because, he believed, two applications for the same grant would weaken both. He also suggested that if the township provided formal support for the CRC application, it would strengthen the application overall and increase the possibility of a successful application.
No formal motion was read or voted on. Mayville asked for a show of hands and the ramp for the township office saw three hands raised, passing the informal vote 3-2. Mayville noted he would like council to consider the accessible boat launch as part of the 2026 budget because he felt it would be a good addition to the municipality. Mayville was the tie-breaking vote for the informal poll.
“It’s my understanding that once recused, the councillors must withdraw entirely – no further participation, not just absence from the vote,” Mayville stated in prepared remarks during the Aug. 5 meeting. “That exclusion extends beyond the meeting to post-meeting actions, such as lobbying staff or council or engaging in the grant application process directly or indirectly. In other words, they must not be signatories, advocates or advisors related to that particular grant matter.”
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