Embattled Strait Shores council suspended, supervisor appointed

After most of its councillors resigned, some of them two separate times, the council in Strait Shores has been officially dissolved. 

Late Tuesday, the Local Governance Commission of New Brunswick announced on its website that a supervisor will take over now because the council had lost its quorum. 

"This means that the council is no longer able to govern and direct the operations of the rural community," the statement said. 

The dramatic action comes after months of turmoil, driven by a negative reaction on council to efforts by a new councillor, Andy MacGregor, to reform the council to bring transparency.  

The supervisor, Greg Lutes, will remain in place until the next municipal election in May 2026. He is a consultant and former provincial deputy minister.

"As supervisor, Mr. Lutes is authorized to act in the place of the elected council," the commission said.

WATCH | Why Strait Shores no longer has an elected council:

Strait Shores council officially dissolved after too many members resign

13 hours ago

Duration 2:45

After a new councillor was elected in a newly formed New Brunswick town, a cascade of escalating events led to the council being suspended. Here's a recap.

The costs of the supervisor will be passed on to the municipality, but Mary Oley, the commission director, said it's impossible to estimate what that cost will be. 

Oley confirmed that Coun. Tanya Haynes resigned, which would have left only MacGregor and the acting mayor, Annamarie Boyd, on what was once a five-person council.

CBC News requested interviews with Boyd and Haynes but did not immediately get responses. 

A copy of Haynes's resignation was requested from CAO Donna Hipditch, but she did not respond. 

Oley said that the CAO and clerk of Strait Shores will remain in place and take direction from the supervisor, who will take over the role of council.

Councillor's ideas met resistance

The collapse of the small, rural community's council follows a short succession of major challenges since MacGregor won a byelection in January.

After joining, MacGregor introduced a dozen motions calling for more transparency. His colleagues felt his way of seeking change had violated the code of conduct, so they slapped him with sanctions  and opened an investigation into his actions. 

The sanctions effectively resulted in his suspension from council and he was barred from municipal property and from contact with other councillors and staff.

Before his suspension, Jason Stokes resigned as mayor, and Stacy Jones and Tanya Haynes resigned as councillors. Jones and Haynes subsequently un-resigned, but have both recently resigned a second time, leaving council without quorum.

Haynes's latest resignation came just after the commission released a report last week calling out the council for mishandling the investigation into MacGregor's conduct and ignoring due process.

The commission also said councillors did not act maliciously, but Haynes was one of the council members directly named in the report for breaking the code of conduct through the botched investigation.  

A week before that, a consultant hired by the council to investigate MacGregor had ruled the opposite — that MacGregor was the one who had violated the code.

Lakeland Ridges, like Strait Shores, was also created under local government reform, and in summer 2023, saw a supervisor appointed after council infighting. 

Lutes was also one of three supervisors appointed for Lakeland Ridges. 

CBC News requested an interview with Lutes through the consulting firm he works with.