Three months after the incident, Kincardine council heard the findings of the Integrity Commissioner with regard to a comment made by Councillor Dave Cuyler that seemed to be directed toward a female colleague.
During the council meeting on April 4th, it was found Cuyler had apparently used a derogatory term toward Councillor Laura Haight following an exchange about a motion brought forward concerning the Promenade on Queen Street event in downtown Kincardine.
Initially, Mayor Gerry Glover didn’t hear the obscene comment be made, but did say that if he had heard it at the time, he would have addressed it immediately.
And Integrity Commissioner investigation was requested after complaints were filed by several people, including members of the public who had witnessed the event happen.
The report was completed by Aird & Berlis LLP.
On Monday night, council received and accepted the report into what was simply described as “the comment” within the report itself, and then reprimanded Councillor Cuyler for his breach of the Code of Conduct.
Council also suspended Cuyler’s remuneration for a period of 90 days, as authorized under the Municipal Act.
Mayor Gerry Glover issued a statement Monday, saying, “The Council of the Municipality of Kincardine is committed to achieving the highest standards of conduct in its actions which is essential to maintaining and ensuring public trust and confidence in the Municipality’s decision-making and operations. The Municipality of Kincardine Council members are expected to follow the Code of Conduct and based on this breach I support the decision of Council and recognize the reaction from the community related to matters of concern that occurred at the April 4, 2022 Council meeting.”