Warwick Township councillors sought advice from Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze on the mayor’s public statements on COVID-19 in September.

The concerns have come to light for the first time after Warwick’s four councillors voted Thursday to call in the commissioner after Rombouts’ public comments about the protests over vaccine mandates in Ottawa and Highway 402.

Rombouts traveled to Ottawa to visit with John Lammers of Petrolia who has been with several hundred people occupying the streets of Ottawa. The so-called Freedom Convoy was organized by Canada Unity stating they would protest until all mandates against COVID-19 were removed. But the group also has a stated goal of overthrowing the current government and installing the group’s leaders as a temporary government to accomplish it.

There has been widespread concern about the organizers who have ties to the white nationalist movement. Rombouts told The Independent she did not see any racism while she was in Ottawa and believed the media had been lying about what has been happening on Parliament Hill. She also said the Prime Minister should meet with the protesters and listen to them.

Her words came in the middle of a protest in her own municipality on Highway 402. About 25 farm vehicles parked on the highway near Forest Line. The Highway 402 convoy left the road Monday afternoon, with Rombouts saying she helped convince them to leave.

But councillors heard an earful about the convoy and the mayor’s comments from residents. Monday night, all four councillors denounced the protest.

Thursday night, at a special council meeting on the fire service, the first order of business was a sampling of the public comments about the convoy, its costs, who would pay it and how the mayor has handled the issue.

Councillor Todd White said Rombouts comments were not not appropriate for the head of council. “There’s been a total disregard of our council, of the staff of Warwick Township, of the community through this; a person’s actions who are in a place of leadership within a community do matter. I am appalled,” said White. And he’s worried what the affect of the mayor’s words will have on the community.

“I really feel this is a reputational risk for the community as a whole. And I think our reputation in a number of areas has been compromised.” White said the mayor did not have “the best interest of the township at heart.”

Councillor Colin Mitchell felt Rombouts had “gone rogue.”

“I feel like you sought counsel outside of the electorate and acted on those on those (opinions), whether they be ego driven beliefs or ideological beliefs or what what the case is, I believe you think you’re right. But I also believe that you chose not to engage the elected council and acted on your own accord,” he added.

“I felt sidelined and not involved in how to approach the convoy at the 402 which, if I can be frank, it’s a illegal activity.”

Rombouts defended herself. “I had nothing to do with the convoy blockage on the 402. I did not encourage it. I was not involved with the group at all. I wasn’t even in the township when they did the blockage of the 402.”

White pointed out the mayor didn’t distance herself from the protests either.

“I’m sorry, Mayor, but you didn’t even denounce that it was an illegal action. And the rest of us took the time afterwards and did,” he said.

Rombouts continued: “I believe that there is a large portion of our community who supports the convoy,” she said.

“I did not endorse anything illegal,” says Rombouts. “If they were breaking the law, the OPP would have gone and arrested them. I’m not sure why they did not. But the fact remains, that there is a huge division in our community and obviously in our council.”

All four councillors agreed to bring in the Integrity Commissioner.

It’s not the first time they sought advice on the mayor’s stands during the pandemic. In September, as the province introduced the vaccine passports, Rombouts posted a statement on social media which gained a lot of attention.

The statement which was tagged StrongAndFree, she said “I will refuse the Ontario vaccine passport and will not patron(ize) any business or organization that will not welcome all my fellow Ontarian’s equally…I have no desire to live in a two-tiered society where there are haves and have nots. Where people live in fear of each other, Where it is acceptable to discriminate against our neighbours, family and friends.

“This is Canada – Strong and Free – I am prepared to defend it.”

Township officials confirm councillors were concerned about the statements and how they reflected on the the municipality. The Integrity Commissioner was approached for an opinion and according to multiple sources, the opinion was Rombouts was only speaking for herself and in the Integrity Commissioner’s opinion had not done anything wrong.

The investigation is now only coming to light as several councillors raised the issue during Thursday’s prickly meeting. While the Integrity Commission works on any complaints or opinions privately, the municipality is required to ensure that reports received from the integrity commissioner are made available to the public. At the time of writing, Warwick Township had not provided the opinion from Swayze on the September incident.

Councillor Wayne Morris Thursday said he would leave it to the Integrity Commissioner to figure out if Rombouts had miss stepped this time around.

“I’m not going to get into the question here is whether the mayor went outside the line of her job. We have the Integrity Commissioner to decide that; as far as I’m concerned, let him make the decision,” says Morris. “If the mayor has done something wrong, the consequences will follow. If she hasn’t, it’s a dead subject. It’s gone. The voters in October decide right or wrong.”