Chatham-Kent council voted to have Suzanne Craig of SC Consulting serve as its integrity commissioner (IC) for another year.
At its Nov. 17 meeting, council voted 13-3 to have Craig continue to handle the duties from Nov. 25 of this year until Nov. 25, 2026.
Of the three no votes, Coun. Michael Bondy’s abstention counted as a no. The other two, from councillors Rhonda Jubenville and Alysson Storey, happen to be from councillors who have been the subject of IC reviews in recent years.
Jubenville said she has nothing against Craig, but voted against the principle of having an IC in the first place.
“I don’t support the office of the IC as it is laid out right now. I think the office is deeply flawed at the provincial level,” she said. “And by the sounds of it, with Bill 9, it is going to be heading in a more authoritarian direction.”
Bill 9 contains legislation that, if passed, could give a municipal council the power to remove a sitting councillor.
Jubenville took the municipality and then IC Mary Ellen Bench to a judicial review after receiving a reprimand and being docked 90-days’ pay in 2023 over social media comments she made in regard to what types of flags should be flown at municipal buildings. The judicial review quashed the reprimand and pay suspension.
In September, Storey was reprimanded for her comments at a meeting in Dresden in late 2024 over the Chatham-Kent Community Hub.
