N.B. municipality spent $19K to investigate councillor over giant bird statue
A New Brunswick town councillor says the release of an investigation into her efforts to bring a giant bird sculpture to the community is a "victory" — even though it led to sanctions against her last fall.
Tantramar Coun. Debbie Wiggins-Colwell was among those who sought the public release of a third-party report that cost the municipality more than $19,000 and concluded she had violated municipal codes of conduct.
The investigation conducted last October found that Wiggins-Colwell disrupted the pecking order by restoring a giant sandpiper statue — known as Shep — to its perch without going through established procedures.
N.B.-based Montana Consulting group billed the municipality $19,167.11 for the investigation.
Wiggins-Colwell's violations included failure to respect the decision-making process and follow policies, procedures and bylaws; inability to have respectful interactions with councillors, staff and the public; and improper use of influence and of municipal assets and services. As a result, Wiggins-Colwell agreed last November to attend training to better understand her roles and responsibilities as an elected official.
Wiggins-Colwell said in an interview that the report shows how minor her transgressions were and how "stupid" it was that the municipality spent that kind of money to cast her as a villain, even though she obtained Shep "for nothing." The sculpture, which cost $9,300, was paid for by a non-profit organization, the Fundy Biosphere Region.
"If they were to just say at the beginning, 'Look, (we can) have this put up for free and it will help tourism in the little village. I think that's what we should go for.' But nope, they didn't want to do that," she said.
Kara Becker, the former deputy mayor of Dorchester, N.B. — the village where Shep stands and that became part of Tantramar in January 2023 — called the $19,000 investigation "a grand inquisition" and an embarrassment for the municipality.
Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black said the municipality responded to a complaint against Wiggins-Colwell as required by its bylaws. "The investigation happened, and from that, council made a decision on sanctions," he said in an email, declining further comment.
Many residents of Dorchester were delighted to see the return of the bird statue named after nearby Shepody Bay, after rotting damaged its previous iteration. But Tantramar officials said the statue was reinstalled on municipally owned land without permission. The investigation into Wiggins-Colwell began after two unidentified people complained about her actions last March.
The resulting report found that she violated the municipality's code of conduct by taking on the Shep replacement project without "respecting the democratic decision-making process and the separation of roles and responsibilities between council and administration."
Once the 2.4-metre-high bird was back on its pedestal in April, council voted to leave it in place. Its beak points toward the mudflats of the Bay of Fundy, where pint-sized semipalmated sandpipers mass in late July on their way from the Arctic to South America.
Wiggins-Colwell said the statue puts Dorchester in the same league as other New Brunswick communities with larger-than-life roadside monuments, including Blowhard the Bony Horse in Cardwell, Lady Potato in Grand Falls, a giant axe in Nackawic, a lobster in Shediac, and Buttercup the Cow and Daisy the Calf in Sussex.
"I want to be open and transparent," she said. "I don't want to hide ... what I did was I got this sandpiper for nothing. And (the statue) brings a lot into our little town."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2024.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Can the Governor General do what Pierre Poilievre is asking? This expert says no
A historically difficult week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government ended with a renewed push from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to topple this government – this time in the form a letter to the Governor General.
'I'm still thinking pinch me': lost puppy reunited with family after five years
After almost five years of searching and never giving up hope, the Tuffin family received the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for: being reunited with their long-lost puppy.
Wrongfully convicted N.B. man has mixed feelings since exoneration
Robert Mailman, 76, was exonerated on Jan. 4 of a 1983 murder for which he and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison terms.
Pickup truck driver killed by police after driving through Texas mall and injuring 5
A pickup truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store in Texas and continued through a busy mall, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by officers, authorities said.
Unifor members ratify new agreement with Canadian National Railway
Unifor said on Sunday that its members at Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) have ratified a new four-year collective agreement, averting a potential strike action.
6 adults, 4 children taken to hospital following suspected carbon monoxide exposure in Vanier
The Ottawa Paramedic Service says ten people were taken to hospital, one of them in life-threatening condition, following an incident of suspected carbon monoxide exposure Sunday morning in the neighbourhood of Vanier.
Two U.S. Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, U.S. military says
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent 'friendly fire' incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Big splash: Halifax mermaid waves goodbye after 16 years
Halifax's Raina the Mermaid is closing her business after 16 years in the Maritimes.
Second body recovered from site of B.C. landslide
The second resident of a home that was destroyed by a landslide in Lions Bay, B.C., last weekend was found dead Saturday, officials confirmed.