Warwick council members have unanimously voted for the integrity commissioner to investigate the township's mayor in her handling of the Highway 402 "Freedom Convoy" demonstration that shut down a section of the highway for nearly a week.
A special council meeting was held Thursday night to receive an update on operations at the Township of Warwick Fire and Rescue Department. However, a large portion of the meeting instead addressed concerns about Mayor Jackie Rombouts.
Councillor Todd White said he felt "embarrassed" and "appalled" by the mayor's actions and how they reflect on the community. He went on to accuse Rombouts of not having the "best interest of the township at heart."
"I really feel this is a reputational risk for the community as a whole and I think our reputation in a number of areas has been compromised," said White.
Councillor Colin Mitchell said he felt as though Rombouts had "gone rogue" and did not uphold the township's brand on how it conducts itself.
Rombouts clarified she had "nothing to do" with the Hwy. 402 demonstration and did not encourage it. However, Councillor White interjected that she also did not denounce illegal actions taken.
"To be clear, I believe that there is a large portion of our community who supports the convoy. I'm not saying that what they did was right," said Rombouts. "If I had denounced them, if I had of called them names, if I had of called them economic terrorists like a lot of people have, that would have divided our community more."
She also "guaranteed" that had she denounced the demonstration, protesters would not have answered her call on Monday to leave the area.
Councillors Wayne Morris and Jerry Westgate both said the matter should be left to the integrity commissioner.
"I'm not going to get into a witch hunt. The question here is whether the mayor went outside the line of her job. We have the integrity commissioner to decide that," said Morris. "As far as I'm concerned, let him make the decision. If the mayor has done something wrong, the consequences will follow, if she hasn't, it's a dead subject. It's gone. Let the voters in October decide right or wrong."
A correspondence package, which included emails and a photo of Rombouts in Ottawa, was included in the agenda.
The mayor welcomed the investigation and said she tried to make it clear that her opinions are her own and do not represent the views of Warwick Township as a whole. Rombouts also said she does not believe she did anything wrong.
"We need to learn to heal from this and we need to come together as a council and as a community," said Rombouts. "There's a lot of people in a lot of pain on both sides of this issue."
On Friday night, Rombouts emailed a statement to Sarnia News Today.
"I will not condemn my council for disagreeing with me as I have always valued the fact that each of us has our own minds and I believe that opposing opinions often brings us to the best solutions," said Rombouts. "I am confident that our council can move past our disagreements and focus on supporting our community as we all begin to heal."
Economic Development and Promotions Officer Stephanie Cattrysse said the Township of Warwick does not have an official statement regarding council’s decision to refer correspondence to the integrity commissioner at this time.
It was also specified during Thursday's meeting that policing costs, such as overtime, during the demonstration will not be born directly by the Lambton Group Police Service Board or the municipality but by the province. However, Chief Administrative Officer Amanda Gubbels said there may be a financial implication in the future as policing costs draw from expenses during previous years.
"We will see impacts of it but it'll be to a larger pool not just specifically to us or to our Lambton Group Police Service Board, and the actual cost of this will not be reflected until the 2025 annual billing statement," Treasurer Trevor Jarrett said.
