Mayor of Springwater Jennifer Coughlin is demanding an urgent apology from a Simcoe County counterpart for allegedly lewd remarks made at a February meeting.
Coughlin was conducting a flag ceremony outside Simcoe County council chamber on Feb. 25, and invited the other members of the council to take part in it.
She said Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw questioned her on why he should attend, asking whether was planning to dance on the pole.
Coughlin initially told Barrie Compass that “as this is now before the County of Simcoe’s Integrity Commissioner and the Ontario Ombudsman, I do not have a comment at this time.”
She recently changed her mind after an anonymous email about the episode was sent to most members of Simcoe County council, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other regional media outlets.
Now she is coming publicly about it, demanding an apology from Greenlaw.
“When I suggested to Mayor Greenlaw and Oro-Medonte Deputy Mayor Peter Lavoie that we should be there, Mayor Greenlaw responded by asking if I planned to dance on the pole for them,” she recalled.
“I told Mayor Greenlaw, ‘I’m going to step away from that,’ and I left the chamber, choosing not to take part in the photo.”
Following the exchange, she said she immediately went to the office of the warden and the county’s chief administrative officer, where she felt “safe and supported.”
Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke later stated that while he was aware of the incident, he had not been present when it occurred.
Coughlin said she later called Greenlaw and asked him to apologize publicly because she felt it was her duty to hold him responsible.
“He told me he needed time to think about it,” she said.
After their phone call, she met with him in person, and he agreed to give a general apology based on her suggestion.
“I told him he didn’t have to say who it was for or what exactly he said, but he needed to apologize to that person and the council for his words,” she explained. “Since he made the comment in the council chamber, I felt it was right for him to apologize there too.”
Coughlin said Greenlaw was supposed to give the public apology at the March 11 county council meeting. Barrie Compass was present but the apology never happened.
When asked, Greenlaw said he had no comment and proceeded to ask the Barrie Compass about its sources, without denying the incident.
This is another incident of a problem municipalities face often: a councillor misbehaves, but the municipality has no legal mechanism in place to hold them accountable.
Municipalities across Ontario have said they lack disciplinary mechanisms to deal with misconduct by elected officials. The current maximum penalty is only at a 90-day suspension of pay.
Last year, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra introduced legislation that would increase penalties for local elected officials found guilty of serious misconduct, including removal from office.
The bill was tabled at the last day the legislature was seating before adjourning for the holidays last December – and was shelved indefinitely when Doug Ford called an early election this February.
If passed, it would create a province-wide code of conduct for councillors and municipal staff.
At the time, the government said Calandra’s bill, dubbed the Municipal Accountability Act, was built on recommendations from Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake, which he delivered to Premier Doug Ford’s office in September.
Councillors found guilty of serious misconduct could face removal and disqualification from office for four years, besides being subject to an investigation and approval process by municipal and provincial integrity commissioners.
On top of that, municipalities would be required to publicly disclose integrity commissioner contact details, annual reports, and maintain a centralized database of completed inquiries.
The government plans to consult with municipal stakeholders before the proposed regulations come into effect for the 2026 council term.
