West Lincoln councillors have voted against asking the Ontario township's integrity commissioner to investigate whether Coun. Harold Jonker violated its code of conduct by taking part in the anti-mandate protests around Parliament Hill.
Posted: Apr 15, 2021 4:41 PM ET | Last Updated: April 15
West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma was voted off the township s emergency operations committee after speaking at an anti-lockdown protest in St. Catharines on Saturday. On Thursday, he confirmed he s received a court summons.(Township of West Lincoln)
The mayor of West Lincoln, Ont., says he s been summoned to appear in court after speaking at an anti-lockdown protest in St. Catharines. I can confirm that for my civil disobedience I have indeed received a court summons no fine, Dave Bylsma wrote in a text message to CBC News on Thursday.
The mayor was voted off the township s emergency operations committee (EOC) after appearing as a guest speaker at the protest on Saturday.
Bylsma removed from Emergency Operations Team
The fallout has begun for West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma.
West Lincoln Council removing Bylsma from his role on the towns Emergency Opertations Centre.
Councillor William Reilly says this was the right move for the council, We have been reminded time and time again that the role of the elected official who sits on this board is there for observation and also as the media contact. And to ensure that information is relayed to the community. He adds, restores confidence that could have possibly been lost.
Bylsma took part in a demonstration this past weekend where he appeared without a mask and spoke against public health measures to control the pandemic.
I ll be judged for my actions, but I think it provided an encouragement for people.
Councillor says protest an abuse of privilege
Coun. William Reilly, who represents Ward 3 with Ganann, said Bylsma s presence on the EOC was a conflict of interest, and council s decision doesn t infringe on Bylsma s rights and freedoms. I firmly believe that if the mayor wishes to be the face of the anti-lockdown movement, then he should resign his seat on council as mayor and pursue his new aspiration, Reilly said in an email.
Overview of COVID-19 in Niagara as of April 13 a href https://t.co/QU6dctlaEs https://t.co/QU6dctlaEs /a br br ⚠️The a href https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayAtHome?src hash&ref src twsrc%5Etfw #StayAtHome /a order is in effect for Ontario. It s critical that we all continue to follow public health measures, stay home as much as possible, and limit close contact to only those we live with. a href https://t.co/FQ7rHZk6zw pic.twitter.com/FQ7rHZk6