Not yet 2 years old, an N.B. council is in turmoil after resignations and sanctions

Another of New Brunswick's caller municipal councils has go embroiled successful play and bitter conflict.

Strait Shores lies along the Northumberland Strait and includes the erstwhile colony of Port Elgin and smaller communities retired to the Confederation Bridge. The sprawling assemblage was amalgamated in 2023 arsenic portion of section governance reform.

The Strait Shores assembly began to unravel this twelvemonth aft a caller subordinate was elected successful a January byelection.

What followed were resignations, sanctions, heated allegations and a tense nationalist meeting, wherever aggravated residents spoke retired successful enactment of the new councillor, saying helium was being unfairly punished.

Andy MacGregor, a retiree who took up school-bus driving to enactment busy, said helium ran successful the byelection aft attending assembly meetings and feeling local authorities needed much structure.

"Not overmuch detail, not overmuch talking, nary discussion, conscionable everything was rubber-stamped successful and out," MacGregor said successful an interview. 

At his 2nd meeting, connected Feb. 10, MacGregor introduced a twelve transparency motions. Among different things, helium called for posting erstwhile fiscal statements, requiring a nationalist tender erstwhile a municipal plus is sold, and imposing a deadline for posting gathering minutes.

In his speech, which helium shared with CBC News, MacGregor called connected his colleagues to beryllium accountable.

"And if you consciousness that for immoderate reason, you cannot enactment wrong this system, I would powerfully impulse you to resign for the betterment of Strait Shores."

Over a period later, the minutes from that gathering are inactive not connected the Strait Shores website, truthful it is unclear however other councillors voted connected his motions.

What is clear, however, is the gathering struck a nerve.

Accusations of a 'town bully'

Mayor Jason Stokes resigned Feb. 14, and successful a blistering three-page letter, attacked MacGregor.

Stokes called MacGregor the "town bully" and accused him of having "intense hatred" for municipal staff. MacGregor's motions came from a "need to power the staff," said Stokes, who wanted an apology.

WATCH | 'They conscionable privation to get escaped of me,' sanctioned councillor says:

"Please don't deliberation that due to the fact that you watched a clump of meetings and work a clump of worldly that you cognize what being a politician and councillor is like," Stokes wrote, adding helium experienced "visceral choler and hatred" from MacGregor.

A CBC petition for an interview with Stokes went unanswered.

When CBC first requested a transcript of Stokes's letter, CAO Donna Hipditch said it could beryllium recovered connected a section Facebook group, wherever it was posted anonymously. Asked again for an authoritative copy, Hipditch refused to supply 1 until it was tabled astatine council's adjacent meeting.

Soon after, 2 different councillors, Stacy Jones and Tanya Haynes, besides resigned, lone to past alteration their minds. Hipditch would not supply copies of their resignation letters, saying it would beryllium "redundant" aft they had returned to their roles.

If their resignations had stood and determination was nary longer a quorum, New Brunswick's Local Governance Commission would person stepped successful to supervise the municipality.

That's what happened past twelvemonth successful the municipality of Lakeland Ridges, which besides saw rampant infighting among councillors. And successful adjacent Fundy-Albert, the politician resigned, blaming the state for doing small to assistance with the increasing pains of amalgamation. 

No details of codification of behaviour review

On Feb. 20, MacGregor said helium received a letter, signed by the clerk and acting mayor, telling him helium was being sanctioned and was the taxable of a codification of behaviour review.

Handwritten crossed the missive were the words "personal and confidential — this cannot beryllium shared with anyone." The letter said MacGregor's conduct at the Feb. 10 gathering resulted successful "multiple instances" of councillors complaining astir his conduct.

"Municipal unit person besides informally reported being harassed and intimidated by Councillor MacGregor's behaviour," the missive said.

Until an probe is complete, the missive said, MacGregor was barred from contacting municipal unit and councillors, and from entering municipal buildings. No details of the probe oregon a timeline were given.

"I've been basically, completely stripped of my democratically elected rights to correspond radical of Strait Shores," MacGregor said.

"They conscionable weaponized the codification of conduct. I mean, they conscionable privation to get escaped of me."

Deputy Mayor Annamarie Boyd is present acting mayor, overseeing a assembly present made up of herself and freshly un-resigned councillors Jones and Haynes. Normally, the assembly has a politician and 4 councillors, 1 acting arsenic lawman mayor.

While MacGregor said helium believes helium is inactive a councillor, helium is not listed arsenic 1 connected the municipal website.

MacGregor said he's complained officially to the state and hopes to resume serving arsenic councillor.

"I'm not discouraged astatine all," helium said. "I mean, this is wherefore I decided to tally for transparency, accountability.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll get backmost astatine the array erstwhile this is done, and we'll conscionable prime up wherever I near off, right?"

After MacGregor was banished from the council table, those who remained made definite nary 1 caller could join them anytime soon.

No elections until 2026

According to gathering minutes, a question to state Stokes's mayoral vacancy to elections N.B. successful clip for a outpouring byelection was defeated astatine a peculiar assembly gathering Feb. 28.

Elections N.B. spokesperson Paul Harpelle said successful an email that due to the fact that nary authoritative announcement of a vacancy was received, Strait Shores volition person to wait until May 11, 2026, to clasp a byelection, meaning Boyd volition beryllium acting politician until then.

The determination not to inquire for a byelection was conscionable different root of choler for residents, which bubbled over at council's gathering March 10, the archetypal since controversies started to heap up.

Residents battalion assembly meeting

About 40 radical crammed into the tiny municipal gathering successful Port Elgin, which had seating for 12. Two RCMP cruisers idled crossed the street, a uncommon show successful the village wherever the nearest constabulary stations, successful Shediac and Sackville, are 30-minute drives away. 

Before Stokes's resignation missive was tabled, nonmigratory Stephen Robb spoke in MacGregor's defence and called for Boyd and the remaining councillors to resign.

"It shouldn't beryllium indispensable to punctual assembly that airing soiled laundry is the worst imaginable mode to permission a bequest for your clip successful bureau and residents merit and expect better," Robb said. 

"Strait Shores is viewed arsenic a assemblage which is incapable to assistance itself due to the fact that of rampant infighting and bullying."

Robb's code drew large applause from the crowd. Boyd past continued with regular assembly concern for a tense 20 minutes.

A typical of the determination work committee was besides astatine the table. Hipditch said this was due to the fact that she and the councillors were each women and fearful of the ample crowd.

When the gathering adjourned, the nationalist stayed successful the room, with immoderate jeering and others seeking one-on-one talks with councillors.

Staff turned disconnected the lights to effort to get radical to leave, with small effect.

In an interrogation aft the country darkened, Boyd wouldn't say who was doing the codification of behaviour probe into MacGregor or when it would beryllium completed, citing confidentiality.

She besides would not remark connected the telephone for her resignation minutes earlier.

"I'd similar for radical to springiness america a chance," she said erstwhile asked if she believed the assembly is transparent. 

Council tin lone service the public if the assemblage "stops the infighting, the bickering," she said.

She wouldn't accidental wherefore assembly wouldn't state the mayor's station vacant, although she's recovered stepping successful arsenic acting politician "quite overwhelming."

Supporters impulse MacGregor not to quit

After residents yet near the building, respective lingered connected the sidewalk, voicing concerns. Some municipal unit near successful specified a hurry they got into a fender-bender leaving the parking lot. 

Lara MacMillan said she was astatine the February gathering that resulted successful MacGregor being sanctioned.

"He was sincere and helium was serious, but helium was not threatening, and helium was not a bully," she said. "He was giving dependable to galore of america who are and person been imploring the assembly to correspond us.

"I spot each kinds of imaginable and what we privation to spot is practice that meets the needs of the community."

Nearby, Gary Rayworth agreed and said helium voted for MacGregor due to the fact that of his calls for transparency.

MacGregor's sanctions were indicative of problems with amalgamation and a deficiency of grooming for caller councils. 

He said helium hopes MacGregor stands his ground. 

"Go for it, Andy. Don't quit. Whatever you do. Hopefully helium gets his feet backmost connected the ground, due to the fact that he's not easy deterred."

Joel Downs said removing MacGregor "doesn't look precise Canadian."

He said issues successful Strait Shores bespeak the dilatory diminution of New Brunswick's tiny communities. Councils should beryllium focused connected promoting economical improvement and opportunity, helium said, gesturing astatine respective abandoned storefronts connected the main street.

"Because without a future, what are our children and our grandchildren going to look guardant to successful these kinds of communities?"