Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy was publicly vocal about her concerns regarding the County of Essex’s Green Bin Program, which was implemented in phase one municipalities – including Essex – last fall.
The program is having residents separate out organics from their waste, which are then collected through the Green Bin program.
Decisions made around the County of Essex table in 2022 included Essex, Kingsville, and Lakeshore in the regional program, even though they were not required to by the Province, as they did not yet meet the population threshold.
Though Mayor Bondy did not share specifically what comments she made that were put under the microscope, she had publicly shared concerns over the past few years about preferring to phase-in rural, instead of including it at the onset of the program. She also had noted historically, Essex’s reps shared concerns about the program, because it wasn’t one of the municipalities that were provincially legislated yet.
She was also vocal about concerns regarding the cost of the program this past February, as she was unsure whether County Councillors knew how much the program was going to cost. She also noted that a better job should have been done to engage residents about the program
Also in February of this year, she received unanimous support from fellow members of Essex County Council to ask the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) – which manages the program – to provide available statistics to date on the effectiveness of the Green Bin organics collection program in each of the County’s seven local municipalities.
The County also asked for available statistics to date on the effectiveness of the program in urban areas and rural areas, details of the public education campaign to date, details about future planned campaigns, and the cost of the program to each of the seven local municipalities.
She announced during the May 21 County of Essex Council meeting that because of her “outspokenness” on the matter, Code of Conduct complaints were filed against her.
“I’m here to tell you today that after a full investigation, the Integrity Commissioner has officially terminated that file and found no contravention of the Code of Conduct,” Bondy relayed to fellow County Councillors.
“I’m raising this here today because I believe in being 100% transparent with the people of Essex County. In that spirit of openness, I want to put some facts on the public record regarding a recent matter.”
Bondy wanted to relay a few points from the Integrity Commissioner’s findings for the public and County Council, including that the Integrity Commissioner “made it clear that voting against a majority decision does not mean you can’t speak to it. The Integrity Commissioner found that I exercised my right to explain why I voted differently, while still being respectful of the process.”
The Essex Mayor believes it is her job to explain why she voted against initiatives, just as much as when she votes to support others.
She added that the Integrity Commissioner found that her conduct was “materially no different” than that of other County Councillors, or even County staff, when discussing this program, and further recognized that her social media and videos were not about undermining Council, but were actually for the purpose of enhancing public awareness and participation.
“The finding was clear, I was encouraging residents to get informed, [and] show up to meetings in the service of democracy,” she said.
“Finally, I want the record to show that I did my homework. The Integrity Commissioner confirmed that I followed the formal written advice I proactively sought from their office before I ever spoke out.”
One of the complaints was withdrawn once she presented her evidence, and the rest were found to be unsupported, Bondy added.
“I acted with integrity, I told the truth, and I followed the rules. And I will always be an elected leader who speaks frankly with my constituents, and I’m glad this matter is officially closed.”
She also conveyed gratitude for the Integrity Commissioner’s work on the file.
Bondy did not share any confidential documents, but permitted facts of the closed investigation to ensure transparency for the public. In addition, what she said during the meeting was approved by the Integrity Commissioner before bringing it up at the May 20 County Council meeting.
In answering Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey on the cost for Integrity Commissioner complaints that come forward, Bondy referred to, Clerk Katherine Hebert noted the County does receive regular invoices when there is an investigation taking place. Those numbers can be brought to Council at any time they want to receive them. They are typically, however, included in budgeting actuals when reports come back.
By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 29, 2026 at 10:33
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