Latest news with #SunburyYorkSouth
CBC
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Sunbury-York South mayor temporarily suspended by council, unnamed employee to be fired
As more challenges have come to the council of a rural community just outside Fredericton, local officials are being tight-lipped about major personnel changes they voted on. During a seven-hour meeting that began Tuesday night and stretched to 2 a.m. Wednesday, the Sunbury-York South council voted to both temporarily suspend Mayor David Hayward for violating the code of conduct and to move to fire an unnamed employee. CBC made numerous attempts to verify which employee is being fired, but officials in the municipality have not answered. Created under the province's 2023 municipal amalgamations, Sunbury-York South includes Nasonworth, Rusagonis, Waasis, Charters Settlement, Sunpoke and Beaver Dam. Hayward's suspension relates to how the municipality approved the lease for an office without going through a council vote. CBC News requested a copy of the meeting minutes but was told by acting clerk Leslie Morrell that they would not be made public until they are approved at the next council meeting in July. However, the day after the meeting, Coun. Cory Allen and Hartwick held their own public meeting to go over details of what was decided for interested members of the public. In a video shared with CBC News, Hartwick told the crowd that "a member" had been reprimanded, suspended for 90 days, and asked for a letter of apology after council decided in closed session that the member had violated the code of conduct. Hartwick said the vote had happened at about 2:10 a.m. toward the end of the meeting. While Hartwick did not name the person on council who was reprimanded, municipality resident Mac Burns told CBC News it was Mayor David Hayward, following a complaint he had made against the mayor. In the complaint, Burns said Hayward had signed a two-year lease for the municipality's office space in Oromocto without having it done as an official decision of council. Allen said in the meeting that the lease had been for $343,000 for a two-year term. Last month, CBC News asked the clerk for council minutes that showed a vote on the office lease. The package of meeting minutes that the clerk provided did not show the council taking any vote on the lease. Minutes from last Sept. 5 say that "council agreed to direct the CAO to move forward with rental negotiations," and minutes from Nov. 19 show that council moved for a presentation from the CAO "on details of the new lease." But nowhere in the minutes provided was a vote ever taken. In their Wednesday night meeting, Allen and Hartwick also said there was a closed session, followed by a motion in an open session for the mayor to "carry out the steps to facilitate the termination of the staff member effective immediately." Neither of the councillors gave a reason for why the employee was to be fired or who it was. Despite holding a public meeting, both Hartwick and Allen declined requests to confirm what they said, with both saying they were not spokespersons for the municipality. The two councillors directed all questions to Larry Delong, the acting mayor. The municipal clerk also would not confirm who was to be fired and directed questions to Delong. Delong did not answer any of the requests the CBC made by email and phone. As of Friday afternoon, no changes had been made to the municipality's website or social media page to announce Hayward's sanctions or which employee is going to be fired. CAO faces court charges, pleads not guilty Sunbury-York South is the same municipality whose chief administrative office is facing charges in court under the Local Governance Act The charges against Marjorie Turner relate to two separate instances where she allegedly called the police on residents asking for public documents they were legally entitled to. A clerk for the Fredericton provincial court confirmed to CBC News on Thursday that Turner's next appearance is on Aug. 10, and that she has entered a not guilty plea. When the charges were first announced, Hayward had said in an interview that Turner's employment with the municipality would be a "human resources matter" for the municipality to discuss. It's unclear if Turner is the employee who has been terminated by the municipality. CBC News tried to reach Hayward by phone and email for comment but did not get a response.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sunbury-York South mayor temporarily suspended by council, unnamed employee to be fired
As more challenges have come to the council of a rural community just outside Fredericton, local officials are being tight-lipped about major personnel changes they voted on. During a seven-hour meeting that began Tuesday night and stretched to 2 a.m. Wednesday, the Sunbury-York South council voted to both temporarily suspend Mayor David Hayward for violating the code of conduct and to move to fire an unnamed employee. CBC made numerous attempts to verify which employee is being fired, but officials in the municipality have not answered. Created under the province's 2023 municipal amalgamations, Sunbury-York South includes Nasonworth, Rusagonis, Waasis, Charters Settlement, Sunpoke and Beaver Dam. Hayward's suspension relates to how the municipality approved the lease for an office without going through a council vote. CBC News requested a copy of the meeting minutes but was told by acting clerk Leslie Morrell that they would not be made public until they are approved at the next council meeting in July. However, the day after the meeting, Coun. Cory Allen and Hartwick held their own public meeting to go over details of what was decided for interested members of the public. In a video shared with CBC News, Hartwick told the crowd that "a member" had been reprimanded, suspended for 90 days, and asked for a letter of apology after council decided in closed session that the member had violated the code of conduct. Hartwick said the vote had happened at about 2:10 a.m. toward the end of the meeting. While Hartwick did not name the person on council who was reprimanded, municipality resident Mac Burns told CBC News it was Mayor David Hayward, following a complaint he had made against the mayor. In the complaint, Burns said Hayward had signed a two-year lease for the municipality's office space in Oromocto without having it done as an official decision of council. Allen said in the meeting that the lease had been for $343,000 for a two-year term. Last month, CBC News asked the clerk for council minutes that showed a vote on the office lease. The package of meeting minutes that the clerk provided did not show the council taking any vote on the lease. Minutes from last Sept. 5 say that "council agreed to direct the CAO to move forward with rental negotiations," and minutes from Nov. 19 show that council moved for a presentation from the CAO "on details of the new lease." But nowhere in the minutes provided was a vote ever taken. In their Wednesday night meeting, Allen and Hartwick also said there was a closed session, followed by a motion in an open session for the mayor to "carry out the steps to facilitate the termination of the staff member effective immediately." Neither of the councillors gave a reason for why the employee was to be fired or who it was. Despite holding a public meeting, both Hartwick and Allen declined requests to confirm what they said, with both saying they were not spokespersons for the municipality. The two councillors directed all questions to Larry Delong, the acting mayor. The municipal clerk also would not confirm who was to be fired and directed questions to Delong. Delong did not answer any of the requests the CBC made by email and phone. As of Friday afternoon, no changes had been made to the municipality's website or social media page to announce Hayward's sanctions or which employee is going to be fired. Sunbury-York South is the same municipality whose chief administrative office is facing charges in court under the Local Governance Act The charges against Marjorie Turner relate to two separate instances where she allegedly called the police on residents asking for public documents they were legally entitled to. A clerk for the Fredericton provincial court confirmed to CBC News on Thursday that Turner's next appearance is on Aug. 10, and that she has entered a not guilty plea. When the charges were first announced, Hayward had said in an interview that Turner's employment with the municipality would be a "human resources matter" for the municipality to discuss. It's unclear if Turner is the employee who has been terminated by the municipality. CBC News tried to reach Hayward by phone and email for comment but did not get a response. CBC News also tried the lawyer representing Turner to confirm if she is still employed by the municipality but has not received a response.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Local official calls police on residents seeking public government records
Social Sharing An official of a rural municipality outside Fredericton is facing charges after she called the RCMP on residents asking for public documents they were legally entitled to. Marjorie Turner, the chief administrative officer for Sunbury-York South, was scheduled to appear in Fredericton provincial court on Wednesday on two charges of violating the Local Governance Act, which police officials called "extremely rare." Turner was not present, but CBC News made a request for an interview through her lawyer, who was in court for the proceeding, which was adjourned without plea until May 28. Turner has not yet responded to the interview request. Created under the province's 2023 municipal amalgamations, Sunbury-York South includes Nasonworth, Rusagonis, Waasis and Charters Settlement. Mac Burns, who's lived in the community for 50 years, first took an interest in the new council after it proposed building an $8-million municipal complex last fall. Council later backed down after a public outcry. "We were saying, if they're going to spend $8 million on a municipal building, where else are they spending the money?" he said in an interview earlier this week. Burns started looking into how much the municipality had paid for land on Chaparral Road in Waasis for the proposed building and how much it was paying to rent a temporary office in neighbouring Oromocto. CAO called police on two residents Burns went to the municipal office on Dec. 19 to ask for records that would explain why certain matters had been discussed in closed session. Under the Local Governance Act, a council must record "the type of matter" discussed in closed session in their meeting minutes. The act also states that most council documents "shall be available for examination by members of the public" in the clerk's office. But the clerk told Burns several times it was not available. He said Turner then appeared and asked him to leave while she was on the phone to the RCMP. Burns recorded the audio of the interaction on his phone, which he shared with CBC News. By that time, Turner had already called the RCMP on another resident, Melissa Gillis, who had also been seeking public records. Gillis confirmed with CBC News that she was given a trespass notice on Nov. 27. She also shared an April 11 email from Mayor David Hayward, who apologized for the notice and said it had been lifted. When asked if he was concerned with what happened, Hayward said in an interview that he wanted to make clear that it was Turner as an individual facing charges, not the entire municipal government. Hayward said Turner has been out of the office "for some time" and he hasn't spoken with her since the incidents. When asked if he would support her employment if Turner is found guilty, Hayward said it would be a human resources matter to be discussed at that time. RCMP confirms they were called to office twice In an interview, RCMP Sgt. Stéphane Esculier of the Oromocto detachment confirmed the RCMP were called to the municipal office for "disturbances" on both dates and said a trespass notice was issued for the first incident but not the second, although it "had been considered." Esculier said there is a "fairly low threshold" to issue a trespass notice to someone. "It's something that was requested by the CAO at the time to avoid, I guess, further disturbances at the location," he said. Esculier said the RCMP then investigated the incidents, which resulted in the charges the CAO now faces — two counts of failing to provide documents required for examination by members of the public. She faces a maximum fine of $5,200. He said the Local Governance Act is not something the RCMP deals with very often, although it does have jurisdiction. "Personally, that's the first time I've seen charges under that act," Esculier said. Charges racked up at Costco, Amazon Burns said his investigation revealed other concerns, completely separate from the charges Turner is facing. Documents received through a right to information request show the municipality's bank card racked up charges for various items at Costco. The receipts don't have a name attached and include office-type purchases like coffee pods and office supplies. But they also go beyond the expected, including gouda and havarti cheese, pickles, ramen, yogurt, peanut butter, fruit salad, dark chocolate, mozzarella bites and carrots. There was also a receipt from the Costco food court for a chicken tenders meal — with extra gravy. Receipts for Amazon were clearly addressed to Turner. They include a $26.44 microwave egg cooker and a $41.99 essential oil diffuser. "I'm concerned with the administration office when you're buying peanut butter and Mr. Noodles, dill pickles and being charged to the taxpayers," Burns said. He said he's kept on the case because he's retired and wants to hold municipal officials accountable. "I think what we found was no checks and balances with the CAO," he said. "So the message is to be diligent. See what your council is doing, see what the mayor is doing and that act — make sure they follow the act." Mayor stands by staff, council Hayward said he was aware of the receipts and that they led the municipality to start working on a new spending policy for employees. "Without that structure in place, if there isn't a rule, then you're not breaking the rule," Hayward said. "I want to be be very clear that I don't believe any member of our council or staff have any nefarious plans or there's been any extraordinary expenditures outside of the norm." Retired mountie says situation is 'nonsense' Gilles Blinn, a retired RCMP staff sergeant who's lived in Nasonworth for 30 years, said he's concerned about "a lack of accountability." He called the trespass warnings nonsense and said citizens are entitled to public information "because we pay their wages, right? It's a government organization. They have to provide it. There's no two ways about it." Blinn echoed what Esculier said about charges under the Local Governance Act being rare. "I don't know if we've ever laid one in this province, ever," Blinn said. He admitted that it's "not the crime of the century," likening it more to a speeding ticket than a criminal offence. But Blinn said it was serious enough to warrant a charge and that the CAO is ultimately beholden to residents. "These people request something, you have to provide it, right?" he said.
