Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News

A Valleyview library board member has resigned, stating the board is abusing its power, lacking transparency, dismissing public input, miscommunicating and intimidating the public. 

Kelli Reimer resigned as a trustee on social media on March 4, after almost 15 years serving the library in different capacities.

“Despite my commitment to advocating for library users and supporters, some board trustees have seemingly dismissed my efforts, and my attempts to represent your interests have been unsuccessful in preventing the current direction of the board,” she wrote on social media.

“I cannot support, nor do I wish to have my name associated with, certain motions of the Valleyview Municipal Library Board moving forward. 

“My values and integrity will not allow it. 

“I refuse to continue enduring the misuse and abuse of power, lack of transparency, miscommunication, intimidation, and dismissal of public input that have become commonplace.”

She said the past 18 months have been a struggle and have negatively affected her work performance, physical and emotional health. 

Reimer’s resignation came only days after the Feb. 26 Valleyview Library board meeting, where the RCMP were called to disperse the meeting after chair Tina Caron said the public engagement portion of the meeting became abusive, disruptive, and profane.

“While we value the public’s ability to participate and did, in fact, allow multiple speakers time to make their points, the library board cannot be expected to endure verbal abuse in the course of fulfilling its role,” said Caron in an open letter on the library’s social media.

Caron denied Town & Country News’ request for an interview stating, “as per our policy, we do not give interviews.”

She told the News on March 10, minutes for any board meeting in 2025 were unavailable as they had not yet been approved. 

“As a board we are currently working on a statement to address the concerns and questions that have been asked,” said a March10 email from Caron’s email but signed as Valleyview Municipal Library Board.

Town & Country News asked which policy prohibits the chairperson from speaking; an email response said a reply would come within seven to 10 days.  

The library board policies on the Valleyview Library website, Section 202.3, outline the chair’s responsibilities, including to “speak on behalf of the Library Board as the Board’s chief spokesperson.”

Emotions around the Valleyview Public Library have run high for weeks, and a public town hall Monday night hosted by the town council drew a packed house with most concerns focused on the local library. 

“It has become a gong show, and the library board hasn’t been able to do any business in the last year,” said Valleyview Mayor Vern Lymburner during the March 10 town hall.

After the meeting, he declined to comment to Town & Country News, saying he would instead reply to an email with questions. No response to the News’ email was received as of publishing deadline. 

Feb. 26 meeting

In a video posted to social media from the Feb. 26 library board meeting, Caron can be seen calling police after one of the public members stood up to speak after a motion to adjourn was made during the public discussion session. Some public members who had been approved to speak also didn’t get the chance to.

Adam Norris, who served on the library board from 2011 and as chair for many years until February 2024, attended the Feb.26 meeting after hearing concerns from the public about how the board was operating.

“It was a very stark contrast to my time on the board,” he said, describing the atmosphere amongst the board and to the public as “very tense” and “toxic.”

Norris says the meeting was very structured until it hit the public hearing session. He said that’s when Caron had a member of the public removed for whispering in the public gallery. 

He said the board then decided to have six public members speak for five minutes each.

Norris noted that some of the questions from the public were pointed at the chair – Caron – and not on policy but after three spoke, the board decided the meeting had gone too long and was calling to adjourn.

A public member – who Norris noted had been approved to speak – stood up to say they would now use the five minutes they were told they would have. That, he said, is when the RCMP were called by Caron. 

“Most of what I heard was issues with the process and approach of the current board, for sure, that was the dominant concern I heard,” said Norris.

“I completely understand that the chair feels like she’s under attack,” he said, though he noted he never heard any threats directed at her. 

Mayor Lymburner said “Caron was very harsh in how she handled the (Feb. 26) meeting, and it was harsh, but it stopped the people from talking.”

He told town hall attendees that it is a privilege for public members to speak at the library board meeting, decorum is needed, and people cannot speak out of turn. 

“When you have an open meeting, it doesn’t mean the public gets to speak.

“It means you’re allowed to come and watch; it doesn’t mean you get to speak.”

Resignation a sad commentary on community spirit 

Norris says Reimer’s resignation confirms the board was struggling within itself. 

“It’s a bit heartrending when you see people commit so much to their community and then are in a situation where they have to step back because it’s impacting their personal health and life.”

He noted that Reimer’s statement is “extremely concerning.”

“It’s really hard on the community, because obviously that library has played a very critical role in the community for a lot of programs and gathering spots, and it’s happening other places too,” said Norris.

He said the Library Act was one of the first pieces of legislation passed in this province. 

“Access to information is critical to democracy and to engaging people, if they don’t have access to the resources they can’t participate, and that library has really focused over the last few years on being a community resource,” said Norris.

“The library is really at that level of trying to provide citizenship its fullest opportunity to develop.”

He said a library provides access to not only books but resources so citizens can be better citizens by teaching literacy, giving them access to the internet, and providing a safe space for people to gather.

“Democracy is a type of government formed by the actions of the citizens, what they do and create, so things like the D&D club or the GSA club, or different segments of society, this (library) became their meeting place. 

“They could meet, run their programs and collaborate with other partner organizations across the community.”

New library board appointed

Like most Alberta municipalities, town council appoints library board trustees in Valleyview. 

In March 2024, the library board welcomed trustees Caron, Tracie Craig, Annette McCullough, and Debbie Wedel.

Norris said the town and MD of Greenview have supported the library by funding and leasing the current building for $1 per year.

Still, he said none of the four new trustees “are regular users of the library – if they have ever used it – and only one of them holds a library membership.”

He questions why the town selected these trustees. 

“We looked for a cross-section of people on the library board, but not everybody had to be a user of the library,” said Lymburner. 

He noted that candidates had a wide range of experiences, including teachers, library users, human resources, payroll and business owners. 

“Ultimately, the library needs to be run as a business,” said Lymburner. 

He noted that library board members can serve three consecutive terms and can only serve more if two-thirds of council agree to allow a member to continue. 

He said several library board members had served more than three terms.

“We had people coming and saying, I applied to be on the library board, and was not given the opportunity,” said the mayor. 

He then said with the previous library boards, town council was being “led astray” as references were not provided by the board of applicants who were not currently serving.

Lymburner also criticized how previous boards ran meetings, saying they were “haphazardly” and allowed people to talk out of turn.

Caron was elected chair in June 2024 at the library board’s annual general meeting. Reimer was nominated and respectfully declined, read the minutes. 

The minutes say Caron had a prepared speech which in part said, “I recognize that my place

as chair is to ensure that the business of the board is completed in an efficient and timely manner and that the voices of all library board members are heard.”

She goes on to say it will be up to the board to ensure the goals and objectives of the library plan are met, but also notes the plan required updating to reflect the views of the current board. 

“I look forward to the process where our board is able to renew the foundational documents that guide us,” she said.

Norris said the fact that the new members were not library users planted seeds of distrust in the community.

“The chair then attempted to deal with the community outcry due to this irregularity by imposing strict order,” he said.

In January, the board moved to have a corporate secretary to help ensure Robert’s Rules of Order were followed. Nathan Steinke, husband to town councillor and UCP VP communications Samantha Steinke, was hired for the role. The News could not confirm when Steinke started his role and if it is a paid position, due to unavailable minutes and Caron declining an interview. 

Norris says Nathan Steinke was at the library’s open house on Feb. 2 as a public member although not an active library user. 

“At this session he expressed views that indicate his understanding of a library is very well grounded in the 19th century, for example, a library is only for books,” said Norris, noting similar comments from new trustees. 

According to the library’s Plan of Service for 2024-2026 – which states that after assessing the community needs – the library’s areas of focus are to provide a comfortable space, stimulate imagination and satisfy curiosity, encourage information fluency and making informed decisions, as well as life skills for children and youth and celebrating diversity. 

“My wish for the new trustees is that they take the time to learn about libraries and the role they play in society, and particularly the niche that the Valleyview Municipal Library has in the Valleyview area,” said Norris.

“I see a great need for the new board to focus on relationships, understanding and engaging in dialogue with the community that they have been appointed to serve.”

On March 6, Glenn Burke announced his resignation from Valleyview town council.

“I just hope that the community continues to be engaged, and that the boards and the organization making decisions will take time to engage with those people,” said Norris.

The Valleyview library was recently in the spotlight, with a report and documentary from the CBC’s The Fifth Estate, on residents standing up for the library and a town council that wants the library to change. 

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