The local government of our neighbouring Township to the east was embroiled in some drama last month when one of its Councillor’s was found guilty of Code of Conduct violations. North Stormont Councillor Adrian Bugelli was the subject of a formal complaint after he allegedly gave a speech while impaired by alcohol at the opening of the Moose Creek Recreational Hall, and also allegedly got into two separate physical altercations with members of the public.
“We found as fact, based on our investigation, that the member was intoxicated at the event,” said Tony Fleming of Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP, who provided the report to Council. “We also found that with respect to the first fight that occurred, we could not come to the conclusion that the Member [of Council] was instigating this fight. There was no doubt based on the video that the Member was involved in a fight, and that after being shoved to the ground, the Member did try to continue the physical altercation after getting up.
“The second fight, again, we can’t say that the member instigated the fight, [but] we can say that the Member was speaking with individuals and was thrown to the ground, there was some scuffling on the ground, but this was not a situation where the Member attempted to continue the fight afterwards. We understand that the Member’s ankle was injured during that fight, so that provided that he couldn’t get up at that point.”
Ultimately, the Integrity Commissioner report found that Councillor Bugelli violated a section of the Code of Conduct that forbids Council members from being in an intoxicated state while performing official Council business. The report further found that Councillor Bugelli violated Code of Conduct rules by attempting to continue the first altercation mentioned in the report, but that his actions in the second altercation were not in violation of the Code of Conduct.
“I’d like to begin by expressing my apologies and regret for my role in the unfortunate events that took place last year,” said Councillor Bugelli in the meeting. “I should have done better and removed myself from the situation, which I failed to do. I am committed to doing better for the residents of North Stormont, our dedicated staff, our wonderful volunteers, and my colleagues on Council. My actions that evening were not acceptable.”
Councillor Bugelli further went on to apologize to the volunteers at the event – which took place last year – and he also thanked those who investigated the incident for their hard work. He stated that he would accept the recommend sanction of a suspension of his pay for 30 days. Council voted (with Councillor Bugelli abstaining, as required), and confirmed the sanction.
North Stormont Mayor Francois Landry addressed members of the public following the vote, pointing out that Council takes its role as a governing body seriously, and that transparency in dealing with Integrity Commissioner complaints is important. The Mayor also apologized on behalf of Council to the volunteers at the Moose Creek Recreational Hall.
Councillor Bugelli was elected as a North Stormont Councillor in 2022, and as President of the SDSG Progressive Conservative (PC) Association in February of this year, a position which sees him work closely with local MPP Nolan Quinn. He has also worked in various Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff roles, including for local MP Eric Duncan. There have not been any reported incidents since those at the Moose Creek Recreational Hall last fall.