Gananoque mayor's pay docked over code of conduct breaches

Councillors in Gananoque, Ont., have voted to suspend the mayor's pay for 80 days and requested he write a letter of apology to town staff, following an integrity commissioner's report that found he'd breached council's code of conduct eight times.

Among the issues identified in the 17-page report are instances where Mayor John Beddows made "discriminatory" comments about women and affirmative action, as well as an "offensive sexual joke."

Integrity commissioner Tony Fleming also concluded the mayor repeatedly spoke about how the town's chief administrative officer (CAO) could be fired, which amounted to a pattern of "harassment." In another instance, Beddows stood over a fellow council member and yelled at her about a request to place shoes on the town hall steps as a residential school memorial and demonstration of truth and reconciliation.

"It was aggressive, abusive and contrary to [the code of conduct]," Fleming said during the May 20 council meeting where the report was discussed.

Beddows did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent Friday.

Asked for his perspective during Tuesday's council meeting, the mayor said the complaints had been collected and curated over the course of several months, rather than being dealt with as each came up.

Asked by Beddows how many complaints had been filed initially, Fleming responded the total was around 43, which had been whittled down to the 18 weighed in the report.

In the end, council voted to dock his pay for more than two and a half months, to ask Beddows for a letter of apology and to publish Fleming's report on the town's website.

Comments about women breached code

The document was based on a complaint received on Sept. 24, 2024, alleging the mayor had engaged in a "series of behaviours" throughout that year that breached the code of conduct.

One of the complaints was based on what's described as a recurring statement the mayor made that women are often promoted above their abilities because of affirmative action.

Fleming said the mayor admitted to saying it, but argued the allegation had been "stripped of context and [was] merely an attempt to malign his character," according to the report.

Instead, Beddows said he made the comment based on his experience in the military where the "politically driven 'pink ticket quota'" sometimes resulted in women receiving opportunities due to their gender, rather than purely on merit.

The mayor was also alleged to have repeatedly said women are often not the best job candidates because they might not return to work after having children.

Fleming wrote that Beddows agreed he'd made that statement, but denied anything he said was derogatory, arguing his comment was in the context of physician recruitment and the need to offer better incentives to attract and retain female doctors.

In both cases the integrity commissioner found the mayor had breached the code of conduct, and his comments — especially coming from the head of council — were "likely to create a workplace atmosphere where the contributions of female staff are devalued."

Finding the 'G spot'

As for the sexual joke, it was allegedly made to the town's former CAO, and was about "how to find a 'G spot.'"

In the report, Fleming notes Beddows agreed he'd made the statement, but explained it was a play on words based on the name of Gananoque's security contractor G-Force and its parking spot, by referring to it as "finding the G-[parking] spot."

The commissioner wrote the joke was "offensive and should not be tolerated," adding the mayor acknowledged it was in "poor taste."

Four separate complaints about comments made to the town's current CAO, including that she could be fired without cause or severance if a case of sexual harassment could be proven against her, were also identified by the commissioner as breaching the code of conduct.

Fleming concluded that although the mayor argued his statements were factual, they demonstrated a lack of awareness about their seriousness and left the CAO concerned about her job security.

The final complaint that resulted in sanctions happened during a July 11 agenda-setting meeting, where witnesses said the mayor became angry over a request to place shoes on the steps of the town hall and stood over a council member, yelling at her.

Fleming wrote that Beddows confirmed the discussion became "heated" after his colleague made an analogy between the shoe memorial and Remembrance Day, which the mayor found "disparaging of veterans."

The integrity commissioner found that regardless of what the other council member said, Beddows was responsible for controlling his "temper and leading by example."

A 'strained relationship' with staff

Ten other complaints were considered as part of the report, including alleged comments made by the mayor that he was the "smartest person" at town hall and telling staff "the only thing I can't do is breastfeed."

In both cases, Fleming found evidence the statements had been made, but determined they didn't breach council's code of conduct.

The integrity commissioner noted a "strained relationship" between the mayor and staff who are "clearly struggling" with his behaviour.

"Our overall finding is that the [mayor] has a genuine desire to create a positive working environment, but he struggles with interpersonal relationships," Fleming's report reads.

The commissioner added Beddows recognizes he has trouble reading people, describing that shortcoming as being "at the core" of many of the complaints.

Fleming wrote he hopes the report can serve as a starting point for the mayor to reset his relationship with staff.