A code of conduct complaint against Eastern Charlotte Mayor John Craig has been sent for investigation by legal counsel following a unanimous vote.
Coun. Lisa McKay, a first-term at-large councillor, submitted the complaint and read the letter in an open session of council. ‘
McKay alleges Craig acted on several issues relating to the municipality without prior approval from the council.
It is the first instance of a code of conduct complaint being discussed in an open session for Eastern Charlotte in the last two years and since the Local Governance Commission (LGC) advised councils they could no longer deal with them in closed session, outside of the exemptions under Section 68(1) of the Local Governance Act including legal advice and personal information as defined in the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
All code of conduct complaints must be reviewed by the council but then may be sent for review by a lawyer.
“I am writing to you in my capacity as a councillor at large for the Municipality of Eastern Charlotte to formally express concerns regarding recent actions taken by Mayor John Craig that raise questions about governance procedure, transparency and adherence to the Local Governance Act,” McKay said during the meeting.
Letter of support
McKay went on to speak about a letter signed by Craig in support of J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) in its request to log several thousand hectares of protected areas on its Crown timber licence in exchange for conserving forest near those communities, which she said was not brought before council for consideration.
“As you are aware, matters of this nature fall within council’s collective authority and decisions with municipal implications are expected to be reviewed and approved through the appropriate council process,” McKay said.
McKay learned the letter had been signed after reading an article by CBC New Brunswick, which she said placed council “in a difficult position” because members couldn’t respond accurately to public concerns associated with the letter.
“Further, in a council meeting held on Feb. 10, 2026, when I raised this matter in my role as an elected representative seeking clarity and accountability, the mayor responded in a manner that I believe was inappropriate for public forum and inconsistent with the respectful and professional conduct expected within council,” she went on to say.
She told the council Craig made comments like “holier than thou” and that he “was not perfect like you” during a Feb. 10 Committee of the Whole meeting. Craig would later say it was his reaction to being asked to resign twice in the same meeting, something he said the council has no authority to call for.
“Yes, I probably should have never said that,” he said. “I was attacked in a public meeting and was twice asked to resign, and I lost my composure and I apologize.”
Craig explained he signed the letter of support due to JDI’s operations in Lake Utopia, which employs a significant number of people in Eastern Charlotte, adding the context of the global strain placed on Canada’s soft wood lumber industry through the Canada-U.S. trade war.
“Council, I fully apologize for not informing you ahead of time on this matter. In hindsight I probably should have brought this to you,” he said. “Did I make a mistake? Yes. I am human.”
Trip to Ottawa
McKay also questioned a trip the mayor took to Ottawa related to the aquaculture industry without council’s prior knowledge or approval.
Craig said the purpose of the trip was to ensure a formal ban on open-net pen salmon farming scheduled to be implemented by the federal government in British Columbia at the end of June 2029 would not make its way to the East Coast.
As mayor, Craig is the spokesperson for the Municipality of Eastern Charlotte and said he regularly attends events on behalf of council.
McKay requested the full accounting of the trip, including associated costs. Craig told the council the trip was paid for by the City of Campbell River, B.C., which invited him to represent the east coast interest in the aquaculture industry, and everything else was paid for through his own earnings.
“There was nothing Eastern Charlotte paid for,” he said in response to the letter.
He said a full financial disclosure was filed with Eastern Charlotte’s chief administrative officer, Jason Gaudet, who later confirmed that detail.
“It was not a pleasure trip. As anybody knows, I don’t like flying, [and] it was three days of lobbying MPs (Members of Parliament) along with Mayor Kermit Dahl for the City of Campbell River,” he said.
Aquaculture and fisheries are significant industries in Eastern Charlotte, with Cooke — an international seafood company — and Connors Brothers, a fish-packing and processing plant, among other major employers.
Cooke employs roughly 1,500 individuals in New Brunswick and 2,500 throughout Atlantic Canada.
“The biggest thing I spoke on was … the young people in Eastern Charlotte get to stay home; they don’t have to go out west to work because of the aquaculture industry [is here],” he said.
Craig said communities need a mayor who is going to stand up for local industry.
“I don’t report to council on when I speak here in New Brunswick and I don’t believe I’ve breached any policy, any bylaw or law by doing the same there,” he said.
Craig asked the council to send the allegations to the municipality’s legal counsel to review what might have been violated.
“I need to know that and you need to know that,” he said.
Complaint sent for legal review
Craig reiterated in a statement to The Courier that he welcomes a legal review of the complaint.
“I will not be a weak leader [or] mayor and stand on the sidelines while our local economy is threatened by international conditions,” he said. “I know the people of Eastern Charlotte can see what this truly is really about a few months before an election.”
After Craig spoke in his defence, he left the chamber and the council openly debated how to move forward. Coun. Alexa Detorakis said Craig “went rogue” and broke one of the most basic rules outlined in the Act.
“I want to reiterate, this was not a rookie mistake. This was willful negligence,” she said.
Coun. Darrell Tidd said the mayor is the spokesperson for the town and can speak on any issue.
“Regarding the issue of signing the letter and us not knowing about it, I do have a little issue with that because it wasn’t brought before council, and I think it should have been,” he said.
The Courier reached out to McKay for comment but did not receive one by the time of publication.
The complaint will go to the municipality’s legal counsel for review and then be brought back before council for consideration, which is protected under Section 68(1)(f) of the Act.
Any vote or decision on the outcome of the review must be done in open session.
