Renfrew Councillor John McDonald responds to a motion to sanction fellow Council member Clint McWhirter at their meeting on Tuesday, May 14th.
Renfrew Reeve Peter Emon continued his test of Town Council’s desire for accountability on Tuesday night.
Emon put forward a motion on Tuesday to remove Councillor Clint McWhirter from all committees, groups, and boards in relation to an off-site meeting with three other councillors that happened in early March of 2023.
Emon notes that McWhirter was present for an education session on the procedural by-laws regarding meetings and what constitutes quorum just before the incident.
He also added that there is no doubt that the majority councillors were present and that the meeting was not declared, scheduled, or announced to the public with prior notice.
When asked to clarify if the particular matter had not already been resolved internally, Chief Administrative Officer Rob Tremblay explained that the proper people had been made aware of the possible breach of conduct.
Despite Emon’s belief that the punishment would be appropriate and in line with the fairness, openness, and transparency that this current iteration of council has pushed towards, the council voted 5-2 against the motion.
Councillor John McDonald voiced his displeasure in a prepared statement, suggesting Emon’s actions to be part of “heavy-handed” retribution following his punishments during the Ma-te-Way Expansion review.
McDonald also brought up what he considered concerning behaviour from Emon behind the scenes, including a “bizarre” email sent to councillors in February 2024 after one expressed interest in making public comments about the prior non-confidence vote against Mayor Tom Sidney.
He alleges that Emon made “unwanted, unsubstantiated, and unwarranted” comments and allegations about the personal lives of council members in what he considered an attempt to “intimidate and influence the responses coming from councillors to the public,” adding that the “tit-for-tat” actions raise concerns about Emon’s representation of the Town of Renfrew in his role as the County of Renfrew’s Warden.
In response, Emon also reminded his fellow councillors that the town’s Code of Conduct’s specific rules on conflict of interest could open them up to further issues under local by-laws, even if it doesn’t neccessarily break the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Emon would ease up at the end of the discussion, noting that he has avoided and will not use the Integrity Commissioner to settle the matter due both to the cost to the town and the preference to use the public forum of the council for healthy discussion on the practices of the town.
(written by Kasey Egan)
