After suffering bruises, cuts and a black eye during an alleged home invasion on Saturday night, Donna Courage has announced she will be resigning from her position on Claresholm town council.
Courage, who had campaigned for increased transparency and accountability on council, shared the details of the alleged attack during Monday night’s town council meeting.
“This is what happened to me over the weekend,” said Courage as she displayed her injuries to her fellow councillors. “I was a victim of a vicious home invasion to the point where I was hospitalized Saturday night.”
According to Courage, her assailant forced his way into her home by pushing the door into her. Courage says the man pinned her against a wall and told her to ‘be quiet and leave town’.
“This assault has been documented by RCMP and I was hoping the Mayor and Council would officially support the investigation of this vigilante act against a town councillor.”
At the end of the council meeting, Courage stated her intention to stay on council but she had a change-of-heart in the hours that followed. On Tuesday, she announced she would be tendering her resignation.
The alleged attack occurred days after Courage revealed that she had been in contact with Municipal Affairs on several occasions with questions regarding council policies and procedures. Courage had previously urged council to consider other potential locations for the town office before committing to the proposed $5 million project.
The councillor has been criticized on social media where her opponents have stated she is not a team player.
On Tuesday, January 23, Claresholm Mayor Doug MacPherson, who is out of town due to a family emergency, issued a statement confirming members of the RCMP Claresholm detachment are investigating the incident.
“Council fully supports this Council member and the RCMP in this matter and does not condone the behavior [sic] exhibited in the incident,” said MacPherson in his statement. “Council is elected to bring divergent to the Council table for discussion and every member of Council should feel free to voice their opinions without fear of repercussions.”
“Council would like to ask the citizens of the Town of Claresholm to band together to support the community as a whole and work together to move the community into a successful future that we all know Claresholm deserves.”
In a phone interview with CTV Lethbridge, MacPherson said he plans to speak with Courage and hopes she will reconsider her decision and remain a member of council.
RCMP officials confirm an investigation has been launched into the alleged home invasion and assault but a suspect has not been identified at this time.
Courage, who had previously served as president of the Claresholm & District Chamber of Commerce, was elected to council in October 2017.
With files from CTV Lethbridge’s Terry Vogt
