West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma will be scrutinized in the regional council, where he is a member after he spoke at a recent anti-lockdown rally in St Catharines, despite a provincial stay-at-home order being in effect.
It was at its latest meeting that Niagara Regional Council decided to let the integrity commissioner investigate Bylsma, following his attendance at the rally, where he was invited to speak alongside activists who spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine, and the government's handling of the pandemic.
A recorded vote by councillors led to a directive to the Regional Chair to file a complaint with the integrity commissioner to investigate the matter further. Bylsma voted against the decision.
After the meeting, the regional council issued a statement, reiterating a committment to uphold its Code of Conduct among members, not mentioning Bylsma specifically.
"We take breaches of the code seriously. Councillors are entitled to due process under the Municipal Act and we rely on the services of an Integrity Commissioner to provide us with advice before taking any actions. When a Councillor is found to have contravened our code of conduct by the Integrity Commissioner, it reflects poorly on that individual member, on Regional Council and ultimately on our entire community," the statement read.
Bylsma has previously been issued a court summons for his participation in the April 10 protest.
