Sarnia City/County Councillor Bill Dennis has had his pay suspended again this term, this time for 30 days.
City council adopted the recommendation from Integrity Commissioner (IC) Benjamin Drory in one of two reports presented to the group on Monday, looking into the councillor's behaviour.
The first report found Dennis violated code of conduct rules in an exchange with a local lawyer, while the second found Dennis released confidential information which contravened the code of conduct.
In an effort to speak to the matter, Councillor Anne Marie Gillis initially asked to receive and file the first report.
"Not because I don't think that there was reason to go to the integrity commissioner... the integrity commissioner already said that we are at a point where we're trying to de-escalate the situations and we're trying to bring about some sort of reformative type of action, but we're not seeing that."
Gillis didn't think council would "get the desired outcome."
"With all of the codes of conduct violations that have happened, we're not seeing any differentiation in councillor Dennis' behaviour whatsoever," she added.
Gillis felt they should be voicing grievances with the upper tier government.
"The person that we should be directing our concern to, should be back to the province, who chose not to do the right thing a few years ago when this motion came forward and was presented on the floor to remove someone from office if they have this continuous kind of behaviour," Gillis said. "[As a result] we're left trying to reform something that basically is unreformable."
City/County Councillor Chrissy McRoberts worried about the message sent if no direction was taken.
"If it is not doing anything for protecting our community, and protecting everyone else, so that we can continue with the business of our city, how are we going to move forward to look after this?" McRoberts asked. "There's slander, there's liable, everything's happening to everyone... and we need to be able to just focus that the business of the city is the most important thing that we're supposed to be doing and this is the discussion we're having."
Gillis withdrew her motion following McRoberts comments.
Councillor Adam Kilner was absent from the vote on the first IC report.
In the second report, where it was determined Dennis contravened the code of conduct by releasing confidential information, council agreed a reprimand was appropriate.
As he's done when previous IC recommendations have been considered, Councillor Terry Burrell once again voted against the directions.
"I just find both of these reports do not meet the standard I have of what the report should say," said Burrell.
In February 2024, Dennis' pay was suspended for two-days for contravening the code of conduct following a meeting on October 16, 2023.
Last July, council suspended Dennis' remuneration for 45-days after Drory found Dennis blatantly disrespected fellow members of council, and didn’t follow the city’s rules for conduct during formal meetings.
In October, another financial penalty had been recommended, but council decided not to impose it.
Dennis was absent on Monday.
He is banned from attending meetings in-person and must attend virtually.
Sarnia council returned to in-person meetings in May.