DRYDEN – The city has published a letter from Mayor Jack Harrison to the residents of Dryden urging them to read the three Integrity Commissioner complaint reports against Coun. Ritch Noel, who was found to have not been in breach of conduct in two of the three.
These include the accusation that Noel made disrespectful comments towards CAO Roger Nesbitt that were in breach of the code of conduct, and an accusation he was threatening and intimidating during an interaction at a restaurant with another individual.
In the third report, which accuses Noel of attempting to influence the spending of council and staff on legal fees, Noel was found to have committed a “technical breach,” with Integrity Commissioner Guy Giorno determining that “the evidence does not support a finding that Councillor Noel was attempting to influence the Council, the CAO or any other official.”
“On the contrary, it is clear that Councillor Noel had no ability to influence them, and he was not trying to influence them,” continued the report.
It concludes that expensive litigation would not be in Dryden’s best interest due to “significant costs to the City,” and the fact that “Nothing that Councillor Noel said had an impact on decision-making.”
Harrison asked the community to “judge for themselves the appropriateness of councillor Noel’s behaviour” by reading the three reports.
Harrison also said in the letter that he continues to believe “that Councillor Noel used demeaning language and brought forward unsubstantiated accusations against staff, which are not appropriate in our council chambers and not what our citizens should expect from their council members.”
“I also urge Councillor Noel, who last year was found to have bullied and harassed staff members by an independent investigator, to take Respectful Workplace training as directed by council so he can attend council in person” the letter said.
Noel told Newswatch that he believes “this has been a targeted attempt to undermine my ability to act as an elected official for the balance of this term that I have left on council.”
“Despite Mayor Harrison and our CEO’s attempts to silence me, my intent is to continue to hold them accountable and bring some transparency to our municipal politics here in the City of Dryden,” he said.
Noel added that “Under no circumstances will I comply with council’s illegal direction to take Respectful Workplace training, and instead I would throw this back to Mayor Harrison and Mr. Nesbitt’s laps and suggest that perhaps they should take it, because I am not an employee of the city, I’m an elected official.”
He said that while he looks forward to resolving these rifts, he won’t undermine his core values to do so.
The first report on the city’s website accuses Noel of making disrespectful comments to, publicly criticizing, and using threatening remarks to influence action towards CAO Nesbitt. “Strong words were exchanged by the Respondent. However, strong words are not automatically words that violate the Code,” reads the report.
Noel told Newswatch, in regard to this report, that Nesbitt “will have to get used to being held accountable for as long as I’m in the position of councillor or he’s in the position of CAO.”
Nesbitt told Newswatch that Noel is entitled to his opinions, with no further comment.
In the report that investigated whether an alleged conflict on January 12 at a Tim Hortons was in breach of the Code, it determined that “The Code does not apply to Councillor Noel in his personal capacity, living his life as a resident of the community, in matters not affecting the interests of Dryden.”
Finally, the report in which he was found in “technical breach” of the Code, Noel was accused of attempting to “influence the Council and the staff not to spend more money on the Councillor’s judicial review application – a matter in which the Councillor has a pecuniary interest.”
Integrity Commissioner Giorno wrote that Noel was speaking out against “what he saw (and sees) as a ‘witch hunt,’ without considering the impact of the MCIA” (Municipal Conflict of Interest Act).
Noel was also the subject of four Integrity Commission complaints in 2025, and was found to have breached the code of conduct in one. He was unable to speak on the 2025 matter as it is currently under judicial review, to be discussed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice at a later date.
“This has been a colossal waste of everyone’s time, and the taxpayers’ money really, especially when there’s been six or seven (complaints) where there has been no breach. That’s not done for free,” he told Newswatch.
Noel alleged that one of the councillors had previously suggested that the person making Integrity Commissioner complaints, should pay their fees.
“All of them have been brought by the city, to which I’ve had to defend that at my cost. Perhaps I should be awarded costs for this. I’ve done this on my own because I chose to run as a service to this community.”
Noel told Newswatch that though he has yet to file nomination papers, he does intend to run for council in the 2026 municipal Election.
