Battle brewing in rural Manitoba after councillor ousted by fellow members

Coun. Donna Cox was elected councillor in the RM of Thompson in October 2022.

A battle is brewing in a rural municipality in Manitoba where one councillor says her fellow members of council ousted her – something the province says can only be done by the court.

Last week when Coun. Donna Cox showed up for a council meeting in the Rural Municipality of Thompson, she says council asked for her resignation, told her she was being disqualified as a councillor, and had her escorted out of the building.

"The Reeve said that he did not feel that I was fulfilling my duties as a councillor. He told me that he didn't think that I was a good fit for the group, and he said that it just wasn't working for them to have me on council," Cox told CTV News.

For more than a decade, Cox has served as a trustee in her area's school division. Last year, she made the jump into municipal politics when she was elected as a councillor in the RM of Thompson – a community located about 90 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

Cox says issues started popping up on council when changes were made early this year to reschedule all council and Local Urban District (LUD) committee meetings to happen in the morning. Cox, who works a full-time job, was the sole councillor to vote against this.

"We're expected to work together. We're all elected officials, and you know, the public expects us to make decisions together. There's certain things that we're not going to agree on, but we need to at the very least consider each other," she said.

Beyond her concerns for her own schedule, she said the timing change also impacts the public's ability to participate in the meetings.

"As of right now if somebody wanted to make a presentation to council, they would have to do it during the day. And that doesn't work for the working class and a lot of volunteer groups," Cox said.

The tension on council came to a head last week.

Cox says council told her she was being disqualified because she had missed three meetings for the LUD of Miami committee.

"I actually didn't even know that I was on that committee anymore," she said, adding the RM's reeve was appointed an alternate council representative to the committee in January.

Cox says she has filed a code of conduct complaint against the Reeve and council as well as the members of the LUD committee. In her complaint, she alleges she was the target of bullying from council and committee members who have tried to exclude her.

CTV News has reached out to the RM's CAO for more details, but has not yet heard back.

"I believe I'm being excluded because I'm a woman, and because I'm a professional working woman," she told CTV News.

In a prepared statement, the RM's Reeve Brian Callum told CTV News council disputes the allegations.

"We are seeking advice to ensure that we deal with the matter legally and in a professional manner," he said in an email. "We are not able to comment further at this stage."

Judy Knox, the chair of the LUD committee declined to comment, referring CTV News to Callum.

ONLY COURT CAN DISQUALIFY COUNCIL MEMBER, MUNICIPAL RELATIONS SAYS

A spokesperson for the province said Manitoba's Municipal Relations are aware of the dispute in the rural municipality.

"Municipal Relations staff have been in contact with both the concerned council member and the Reeve to ensure they are aware of the requirements of The Municipal Act," the spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

The Act does outline the criteria for when a member is disqualified, which includes if a member is absent for the full duration of three consecutive council or LUD meetings, unless given leave.

However, the provincial spokesperson said that is a determination that only the court can make.

According to the Municipal Act, councils can make an application for a disqualification – it's then up to the court to declare a councillor is disqualified or dismiss the matter.

"Regarding the timing of council meetings, it is within the council’s authority to set a time for its own meetings," the spokesperson said. "Councils are encouraged to schedule regular meeting times for when it will normally be convenient for all members to attend."

Cox said she spoke with a Municipal Services Officer who told her to continue attending the meetings, which she says she intends to do.

The next meeting of council is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on May 11.