Heather Wright/The Independent

A political shadow is being cast over the upcoming grand opening of the renovated St. Clair Golf Course Clubhouse.

As the township plans the April 3 grand opening for the clubhouse with a $3.5 million facelift, The Independent has learned a complaint has been filed to the township’s Integrity Commissioner after council voted to increase staff at the club and make it a year-round facility. 

The complaint, filed Friday, stems from Deputy Mayor Steve Miller’s vote during an in-camera session which approved the creation of six full-time positions at the township’s golf course.

The complaint, which still needed more paperwork to be filed to trigger an investigation, alleges Miller voted on the positions despite the fact his daughter works at the club. Sources say her position was one of the part-time jobs which were turned into full-time positions.

Minutes from the in-camera meeting, released to The Independent by Clerk Jeff Baranek the day after the meeting, show Miller voted in favour of the new positions.

Only Councillors Pat Brown and Brad Langstaff voted against the move.

The Ontario Municipal Act says council members have to declare a pecuniary or financial interest in items where there could be a conflict.

“For the purposes of this Act,” the statute reads, “the pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, of a parent or the spouse or any child of the member shall, if known to the member, be deemed to be also the pecuniary interest of the member,” it says in Section 3.

The practice of declaring grown children as a conflict is common. In Petrolia, for example, Mayor Brad Loosley always declares a conflict when issues surrounding Lambton Emergency Medical Services come up at municipal or county council because his adult son works part-time for Lambton EMS.

When council members declare a pecuniary interest, they must file a formal declaration which is listed on their municipality’s website. In St. Clair Township, the last entry was Nov. 18, 2024 and was filed by Councillor Langstaff.

Councillors who declare an interest may not vote on the matter and generally move away from the decision-making table. 

Normally, the name of the person filing the complaint to the Integrity Commissioner is not revealed, however Bill Moran talked to The Independent about his complaint about the deputy mayor’s conduct. 

He’s not only concerned about Miller’s vote on the matter, he questions whether the meeting discussing the positions should have been behind closed doors.

“It appears that the discussion concerned non sensitive business decisions that committed significant hours to new roles. The need for these positions should have received the required debate by the council during a public meeting and the resulting motions and the vote should have followed in an open meeting. Staffing costs are a concern to members of the public.”

Under the Municipal Act, there are rules governing what types of conversation can be held in private, in-camera meetings including when an “identified individual” employee is being discussed or for “labour relations.” Baranek says the township used the labour relations exemption.