Mississippi Mills, Ont. councillor has pay suspended for breaching COVID-19 vaccination policy
A Mississippi Mills, Ont. councillor has had her pay suspended for 90 days after breaching the municipality's COVID-19 vaccination policy by attending council meetings while refusing to disclose her vaccination status.
Integrity Commissioner Tony Fleming found Coun. Cynthia Guerard breached the corporate policy and the municipal code of conduct by attending two in-person council meetings in May without providing proof of vaccination. The municipality’s policy requires staff to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.
A report for the Mississippi Mills council says the Integrity Commissioner's office received a complaint on May 12 with respect to Guerard’s conduct.
"The Complaint alleges that Councillor Guerard attended two council meetings in person while not in compliance with the Township's Policy HR-36, Mandatory Vaccination Policy," the report said.
"The Complaint alleges that the Member did not provide proof of vaccination and was therefore presumed unvaccinated. Nevertheless, she attended the May 3 and 17 Council meetings in person and, when asked to leave chambers on the 17th because she was unvaccinated, simply sat outside of the chambers and joined in remotely."
The Integrity Commissioner's report says the council meeting's minutes reflect that Guerard was advised that she was not in compliance with the policy.
"On the 17th, a point of privilege was raised with respect to the Member’s non-compliance with the Policy. The Chair ordered the Member to apologize, and when she failed to do so, expelled her from Council chambers," the report said. "The Member then proceeded to join the meeting via Zoom, while sitting in the hallway outside Council Chambers."
The Integrity Commissioner says Guerard, through her counsel, raised a number of "procedural objections" to the investigation, including that the municipality had no authority to maintain vaccination requirements, particularly after the Ontario government lifted its requirements, and that Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects personal privacy.
The Integrity Commissioner says, "It is clear that Councillors must be vaccinated – a point which the Member seemed to concede – and it is clear that employees must provide proof of vaccination status."
When the councillor was asked to confirm without providing any proof of vaccination whether she is vaccinated against COVID-19, the Integrity Commissioner said Guerard, "refused to answer."
The Integrity Commissioner ruled Guerard breached section 11 of the Code of Conduct by failing to comply with a Council policy that requires all members to be vaccinated, and section 30 by attempting to circumvent established policies.
"If the Member was vaccinated, simply confirming this may have been sufficient to conclude that she did not breach the Policy," the report states. "As she declined to do so, we must assume it is because she was not vaccinated, and her answer would have harmed her position."
The Integrity Commissioner recommended council suspend Guerard's pay for 90 days, the maximum penalty available, which council voted to approve.
"The Councillor has shown no respect for the policy and direction of Council and has failed to cooperate with the Integrity Commissioner in this investigation," Integrity Commissioner Fleming concluded. "While the Member’s actions during the investigation were conducted through counsel, the reasons for refusing to cooperate were found to have no basis in law and therefore do not justify the Member’s refusal to answer the question as to her vaccination status."
According to the municipality's policy, all council and municipal employees were required to be fully vaccinated with a Health Canada recognized COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 30, 2021. Employees must provide proof of full vaccination to the municipality.
Mississippi Mills is located 50 km west of downtown Ottawa. The municipality includes Almonte, Pakenham, Appleton and Clayton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.