Strait Shores Deputy Mayor Annamarie Boyd says that a third party consultant has been hired to investigate code of conduct complaints against recently elected councillor Andy MacGregor. But municipal staff still refuse to release the text of a motion that called for the investigation and imposed a preemptive suspension on MacGregor, barring him from council meetings and communications.
After a packed council meeting on Monday, Boyd said she could not share the name of the contractor hired to conduct the investigation, but “I can tell you that we had a very brief meeting, an introductory meeting, today.”
“This is something that has started. It will take time,” said Boyd. “All parties will be interviewed. There will be a lot of gathering of information.”
In his resignation letter dated February 13, 2025, former mayor Jason Stokes wrote that MacGregor had become known as “the town bully” among himself and municipal staff, and also that staff were “shell shocked” by interactions with MacGregor.
MacGregor categorically denies the accusation, and says his persistence is being mistaken for bullying. In an interview with CHMA, MacGregor said, “I haven’t said a mean word. I haven’t disrespected anybody. I dare anybody to show me anything that would resemble bullying… a nasty email, mean words, anything, one sentence, and I’ll take my punishment as dished out.”
No comment on no by-election
Neither Boyd nor fellow councillor Tanya Haynes would comment on their respective decisions to prevent Strait Shores from participating in April by-elections.
Draft minutes of a meeting on February 28 show that council read and accepted the resignation of Jason Stokes, but when Councillor Stacy Jones made a motion to declare a vacancy on council, neither Haynes nor Boyd seconded, letting the motion die on the floor.
Under the Local Government Act, council is required to declare a vacancy within two months of the resignation of a council member (section 51.1). Haynes’ and Boyd’s refusal to declare the vacancy on February 28 means that Strait Shores voters cannot participate in April by-elections, and the mayor’s seat will remain vacant until general elections in May 2026.
By then, it will be possible for resigned mayor Jason Stokes to run again if he should so choose. The Local Government Act prevents a resigning member from running in a by-election for the seat they resigned from (section 55.2), but there’s no such limitation in a general election.
After Monday’s meeting Haynes indicated that the decision not to declare the mayor’s seat vacant was connected to the code of conduct complaint against MacGregor.
“As soon as the investigation is over I can answer your questions,” said Haynes, without further explanation.
‘Left to assume the worst’
Area resident Stephen Robb made a five minute presentation to council on Monday and called for the resignation of both councillors and the deputy mayor. After the meeting Robb told CHMA his call was inspired by concerns that he hears from others in the community over the lack of disclosure around council’s recent actions.
“People are saying they don’t trust what happened,” said Robb. “They’re not explaining what happened. So you are left to assume the worst.”
Deputy Mayor Annamarie Boyd had no comment on Robb’s call for her resignation, but told reporters after the meeting, that she hoped residents would give the municipality a chance.
“There’s been a change here at the table,” said Boyd, “and everybody’s doing the best that they can. And I would like people just to try to give us a chance.”
Support from South East Regional Service Commission
Monday’s meeting also included an extra person sitting at the council table. Charles Doucet, a project manager with the South East Regional Service Commission attended in order to support the council and staff during the turmoil surrounding MacGregor’s suspension and the code of conduct complaint against him.
“The reason [Doucet] was here tonight was to kind of help me in this brand new role,” said Boyd. “As you can appreciate, I went from being a councillor to a deputy mayor to an acting mayor within five days. It’s quite overwhelming, and so we’re looking for guidance.”
Doucet says he was called in by municipal staff to provide assistance over a code of conduct complaint, and had plans to meet with Mayor Jason Stokes before he resigned. He said that now that an investigation into the complaint is underway, his role is mostly complete, though he remains a resource for support. He says he regrets sitting at the council table on Monday, noting it would have been more appropriate for him to observe along with residents in the gallery.
CAO Donna Hipditch said she appreciated Doucet’s presence on Monday in light of the size and mood of the crowd in attendance. “We’re a bunch of women,” said Hipditch. “We’re a little, I don’t know what you call it, fearful… I really don’t like all of this.”
“Everyone is entitled to their opinions,” said Boyd when asked about the crowd at Monday’s meeting. “Everybody has strong emotions. And all I can say is trust the process. There is a third party team that’s investigating this at the time, and until we have some resolution from that, I really can’t comment any further.”
‘I just want it to be over’
Councillor Andy MacGregor says he doesn’t know anything yet about the investigation, and has had no communication with Strait Shores since he was suspended on February 20, except to receive a registered letter outlining sanctions against him, and emailed letters of resignation from Councillors Stacy Jones and Tanya Haynes (which were later rescinded.)
MacGregor says he is curious to find out who is conducting the investigation and how they will go about it. And he is somewhat relieved that the third party process has started. “I just want it to be over,” says MacGregor. “Let’s get this gong show over with and get back to business.”
