KAWARTHA LAKES-Ward 4 Councillor Dan Joyce has been identified as the councillor who violated the City’s Code of Conduct.
“Quite simply I must take responsibility for my error, the Integrity Commissioner did their job as they are tasked to do, and as such I am perfectly okay with the findings.” Councillor Joyce told Kawartha 411 News.
Joyce has been on council for almost four years.
It all began when a complaint was brought against Joyce by a developer on May 21, 2025 alleging that he had contravened the Kawartha Lakes Code of Conduct and Ethics. The complaint specifically claimed Joyce had violated Section 18.1 of the Code of Conduct provides as follows: If a member of the public or Staff believes a Member of Council has contravened the Code of Conduct, they should submit a written complaint in accordance with the established investigative protocol.
According to the Integrity Commissioners report, In the spring of 2020, the developer, Kings Bay initiated the process to obtain approval for a development project. On May 23, 2023 the company filed an application with the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) for approval of the project.
According to the Integrity Commissioners report, the fact that there was an OLT application in progress caused the City to pause its action in processing the original application. The company disputed that assertion.
On July 4, 2024 the OLT approved the plan of subdivision subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions. At its April 22, 2025 Council meeting, the City approved the plan of subdivision.
Things started going downhill with the proposal of a “buffer zone”. The Kings Bay project involved building a road on former golf course lands that backed on the yards of certain residents. The buffer zone proposal would have increased the road allowance for this road so as to create a “buffer” between the road traffic and residents.
King’s Bay sent a Memorandum of Understanding to residents and the City regarding the buffer zone and requested a response by a certain date. When no response was received they rescinded the offer.
Councillor Joyce met with King’s Bay and said it was his understanding that the company greed to reinstate the buffer zone proposal which would not be subject to conditions. The company said there was an understanding that the proposal would be promptly brought to council and that Councillor Joyce had agreed to expedite the application for a vote.
King’s Bay believes that Councillor Joyce made statements that were factually incorrect and/or misleading during a council meeting in April 2025. They believe that these comments breached seven sections of the Code of Conduct.
According to the Integrity Commissioner the question to be determined in investigating this complaint is not whether Councillor or whether they were or were not misleading. The question is whether the views he voiced at the meeting were views that he voiced in good faith. If he voiced them in good faith, he did not contravene the Code of Conduct in doing so.
“Councillor Joyce and King’s Bay came away from their April 27th, 2023 meeting with different understandings of the outcome of the meeting. I do not have any way to confirm which party had the correct understanding, but there is no information to indicate that Councillor Joyce was acting in bad faith in his interpretation of what occurred.” said the Commissioners report.
The Integrity Commissioner also found there was no information to indicate that Councillor Joyce was acting in bad faith in his interpretation of what occurred in the April 9, 2025 discussion with Kings Bay.
In a third instance Councillor Joyce described the Kings Bay file as “haphazard” which was incorrect according to the Commissioner.
“In describing the King’s Bay file as “haphazard’ Councillor Joyce contravened the Code of Conduct which requires councillors to refrain from making statements the council members knows or ought reasonably to know to be false or with the intent to mislead council or the public.” said the Commissioners report.
“In this instance, Councillor contravened the Code of Conduct by using a single incorrect word in the context of his entire statement to Council, and has expressed regret that he made this error. In the circumstances, I consider that this contravention was trivial, as contemplated by Section 6a) of the Investigation Protocol and recommend that no penalty be imposed on Councillor Joyce for the contravention.” continued the report.
 “The developer’s actions had to be called out for what it was.” Councillor Joyce told Kawartha 411 News. “Unfortunately I deviated from my prepared statement using one word that could be construed as not based on fact. Honestly it just slipped out and the moment I said it, I thought this could come back to haunt me, which it did.”
Three other councillors were investigated by the Integrity Commissioner in 2025 but they have not been named.
Joyce has filed his nomination papers and will be running again in the next municipal election.
