MONTREAL — The town council of Heron Bay, New Brunswick, voted unanimously to relieve Mayor Normand Pelletier of his duties for a code of conduct violation after he told The Logic that members of the council “don’t have a fucking clue what they’re doing.”

Heron Bay, formerly known as Dalhousie, has been embroiled in a years-long debate over the mining of pozzolan, a silica-rich deposit that reduces the carbon footprint of cement when used in the curing process. Pelletier, who has served as Heron Bay’s mayor since 2016, made the comments in reference to members of the town council who opposed the mine project.

A mining project that would tap the estimated $300-million deposit in Heron Bay has split the town of roughly 3,200 people into pro- and anti-mine camps. In March, The Logic published a story detailing the at times violent clashes between the two sides, with jobs and potential harmful effects on the environment in the balance. 

Councillor Ken Chartrand, who opposes the mine, filed an official complaint in March based on Pelletier’s comments, according to two sources who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. In a council meeting Wednesday, councillor Lisa Pelletier, who is not related to the mayor, introduced a motion saying a member had breached the town’s code-of-conduct bylaw and that the town had “agreed upon appropriate sanctions in response to the breach.”

Both Chartrand and Pelletier recused themselves when the code of conduct complaint was tabled. The remaining councillors voted in favour. Chartrand returned to the meeting following the vote; Pelletier didn’t.

Reached by phone, Chartrand declined to comment. Pelletier didn’t respond to an interview request.

Deputy Mayor Denis McIntyre wouldn’t comment on the substance of the complaint against Pelletier or the length of the mayor’s suspension. “The only comment I can make is that I will take on the mayor’s functions for an indeterminate period,” McIntyre said.

A town bylaw prohibits council members from using “indecent, abusive or insulting words or expressions toward another member.” Anyone found guilty of violating the bylaw is subject to a three-month suspension for the first offence.

Quebec-based EcoRock Dalhousie is behind the 30-year, $300-million mining project, which would see the extraction, transformation and shipping of pozzolan out of Heron Bay. The project would create 300 direct and indirect well-paying jobs, according to EcoRock general manager Francis Forlini. 

Yet many Heron Bay locals are wary of the project, saying the mine would cause air pollution and other environmental degradation. Much of the debate has taken place online via Facebook groups, though it has also spilled into the streets. 

Last fall, the mine site was vandalized, while a mine opponent was assaulted months later. In December, Pelletier cancelled town council meetings for the month of January 2025, blaming alleged “bitching and complaining” by the anti-mine contingent.