An official of a rural municipality outside Fredericton faces charges after she called the RCMP to residents who requested public documents to those who had legal entitle.
Marjorie Turner, administrative director of Sunbury-York South, was scheduled to appear in the Provincial Court of Fredericton on Wednesday for two positions to violate the Local Government Law, which police officers called “extremely rare.”
Turner was not present, but CBC News requested an interview through his lawyer, who was in the court for the procedure, which was postponed without guilt until May 28. Turner has not yet responded to the interview application.
Created under the municipal amalgamations of 2023 of the province, Sunbury-York South includes Nasonworth, Rusagonis, Waason and Charters Settlement.
Mac Burns, who lived in the community for 50 years, first interested in the new Council after he proposed to build a municipal complex of $ 8 million last fall. The Council then retreated after a public protest.
“We were saying, if they are going to spend $ 8 million in a municipal building, where are the money to spend?” He said in an interview earlier this week.
Burns began to investigate how much the municipality had paid for the Earth in Chaparral Road in Waasis for the proposed building and how much he was paying to rent a temporary office in the neighboring Oromoct.
Cao called the police for two residents
Burns went to the municipal office on December 19 to request records that explained why certain matters had been discussed in the session closed. According to the Local Government Law, a council must register “the type of matter” discussed in the session closed in the minutes of your meeting.
The law also establishes that most of the council documents “will be available for examination by public members” in the secretary’s office.
But the employee told Burns several times that he was not available. He said Turner appeared and asked him to leave while she was talking on the phone with the RCMP. Burns recorded the audio of the interaction on his phone, which he shared with CBC News.
By then, Turner had already called the RCMP in another resident, Melissa Gillis, who had also been looking for public records.
Gillis confirmed with CBC News that received a transfer notice on November 27.
He also shared an email of April 11 by Mayor David Hayward, who apologized for the notice and said he had been raised.
When asked if he worried what happened, Hayward said in an interview that he wanted to make it clear that he was Turner as an individual who faces positions, not the entire municipal government.
Hayward said Turner has been out of the office “for some time” and that he has not talked to her since the incidents.
When asked if he would support his job if Turner is declared guilty, Hayward said it would be a human resources issue discussed at that time.
RCMP confirms that they were called to charge twice
In an interview, Sergeant RCMP. Stéphane Esculier of the Oromoct Detachment confirmed that the RCMP was called to the Municipal Office for “disturbances” on both dates and said that a violation notice was issued for the first incident, but not the second, although “it had been considered.”
Esculier said there is a “quite low threshold” to issue a transfer notice to someone.
“It’s something that Cao requested at that time to avoid, I suppose, more disturbances in the place,” he said.
Esculier said that the RCMP then investigated the incidents, which resulted in the positions facing the CAO, two positions of not providing documents required for the examination by members of the public. She faces a maximum fine of $ 5,200.
He said that the Local Government Law is not something that the RCMP deals very often, although it has jurisdiction.
“Personally, that is the first time I see charges under that law,” said Esculier.
The accumulated charges in Costco, Amazon
Burns said his investigation revealed other concerns, completely separated from the positions facing Turner.
The documents received through a request for the right to information show that the municipality’s bank card accumulated charges for several items in Costco.
The receipts do not have an attached name and include office type purchases, such as coffee pods and office supplies. But they also go beyond the expected, including Gouda and Havari cheese, the pickles, the ramen, the yogurt, the peanut butter, the fruit salad, the black chocolate, the mozzarella bites and the carrots.
There was also a receipt from the Costco food court for a chicken bidding meal, with extra sauce.
The Amazon receipts clearly addressed Turner. They include a microwave egg pot of $ 26.44 and an essential oil diffuser of $ 41.99.
“I am worried about the administration office when buying peanut butter and Mr. Noodles, dill pickups and charges to taxpayers,” said Burns.
He said that he has remained in the case because he is withdrawn and wants to hold municipal officials.
“I think what we found were not controls and balances with the CAO,” he said.
“Then, the message is to be diligent. See what your advice is doing, see what the mayor is doing and that act, be sure to follow the act.”
Mayor meets the staff, advice
Hayward said he was aware of the receipts and that they led the municipality to start working in a new expense policy for employees.
“Without that structure instead, if there is no rule, then you are not breaking the rule,” said Hayward.
“I want to be very clear that I do not believe that any member of our Council or Personnel has disastrous plans or there have been extraordinary expenses outside the norm.”
Retired Mountie says the situation is ‘meaningless’
Gilles Blinn, a retired sergeant from RCMP personnel who lived in Nasonworth for 30 years, said he is “lacking in responsibility.”
He called meaningless advertisements and said that citizens have the right to public information “because we pay their salaries, right? It is a government organization. They have to provide it. There are no two ways about it.”
Blinn echoed what Esculier said about the positions under the local government law that were rare.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever put one in this province,” said Blinn.
He admitted that “it is not the crime of the century”, comparing it more with a fine for speed than a criminal offense. But Blinn said it was serious enough to justify a position and that CAO is finally indebted to residents.
“These people request something, you have to provide it, right?” said.
“You can’t call the police for everyone who appears requesting something.”
