Last week, West Nipissing council removed councillor Anne Tessier from the board of Au Chateau, the long-term care home in Sturgeon Falls. Now, some residents are circulating a petition to have Tessier reinstated on the board.
Tessier explained that she did want to stay on the board during the last council meeting. However, council decided it did not want Tessier representing the municipality at that table after she made a comment on social media that council deemed “hurtful towards the relationship with such a valuable community partner,” as councillor Kris Rivard said.
See: West Nipissing councillor removed from Au Chateau board
“Anne has been very active on this board and has already helped out many families,” explained Rejean Venne via email. “The caregivers and families at Au Chateau were devastated that she would no longer be a board member.”
Venne is part of the group organizing the petition. He explained that since launching the petition last Friday, it has already received 100 signatures. At least 50 of those are from residents of Au Chateau and their family members, he noted.
“The response is very high considering there are only 160 residents living at Au Chateau.”
The plan is to present the petition to West Nipissing council, as the petition urges council to re-appoint Tessier to the board for the remainder of the 2022-2026 term. To sign, contact Rejean Venne via email at [email protected].
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
