Cape Breton mayor chews out councillor for comments to media

The mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality publicly chastised a councillor last nightfor violating the municipal code of conduct.

Cecil Clarke called a parliamentary point of privilege during a regular CBRM council meetingto admonish Amanda McDougall.

This isn't the first timeMcDougallhas been the centre ofcontroversy at Cape Breton regional council.At the beginning of this year her qualifications to sit on the Nova Scotia solid waste resource managementcommitteewas questioned by some fellowcouncillors.

They suggested McDougall, who is in her 30s and was elected in October 2016, would struggle with the position because the workload is significant and the meetings can "get pretty heavy."

That was despiteMcDougall'spreviouswork with the Atlantic Coastal Action Program in Cape Breton overseeing projects relating to solid waste management, among other matters.

McDougall, the councillor for District 8, was one of nine women who signed a letter to the editor in the Cape Breton Post this week urging the CBRM council to fund a new arts and innovation centre for downtown Sydney.

The letter scolded the council for its "apparent resistance" to the funding request, and said that jeopardizing the success of the project was "tantamount to recklessness."

'It is in contravention of the code of conduct'

Clarke said it was wrong for a councillor to sign such a letter.

"For a council member to question the motive or the integrity or the intent of their fellow colleagues," said the mayor, "and suggest if they don't make a decision in advance of a deliberation, is not appropriate or fair to their colleagues."

"It is in contravention of the code of conduct that we all signed when we were sworn into treat each other with respect," he said.

McDougall disagreed, saying it's part of the job to "question one another."

"We're not here to pat each other on the back and get along all the time," she said."Nothing in that letter was any different, save a few words, than what I said here tonight. I was equally as critical. I was equally as passionate."

Clarke also criticized McDougall for a weekend television interviewin which she said, in part, there was a divide between several councillors and the mayor.

Clarke said she should not speak for other councillors, and that her comments should be made in a "more objective" fashion.

'I disagree with this even being brought up'

McDougall said she has no intentions of apologizing.

She said the mayor's comments were originally planned for an in-camera session of council earlier in the day but were moved to the public session.

"I'm happy I'm being reprimanded publicly," said McDougall. "I'm allowed to have an opinion."

Several other councillors spoke in McDougall's defenceincluding District 11 representative Kendra Coombes.

"I disagree with this even being brought up," said Coombes. "Our job is to go out and express opinions."