Mayor’s expense fiasco harming North Bay’s reputation, councillor says

Playing null of undefined

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North Bay mayor’s expense reports under fire

City council in North Bay voted Tuesday night to publish online quarterly and annual reports of expenses claimed by members of council and the mayor.

The expanded transparency bylaw follows a rough month for Mayor Peter Chirico, who’s currently the subject of an OPP criminal investigation related to his use of the corporate credit card for his personal expenses.

A handful of demonstrators gathered outside of city hall Tuesday, including Granville Arseneault, who called on Chirico to resign.

“He should just leave,” Arseneault said.

“Save the city the embarrassment. The city has to change.”

Nicole Peltier, one of the two whistleblowers who filed Freedom of Information Act requests into Chirico’s expenses, attended the meeting.

“The next appropriate course of action is for Mayor Chirico to resign and also for the majority of council to vote on an independent auditor’s report based on what happened because we don’t have the full picture,” Peltier told reporters.

Council unanimously approved changes to the accountability and transparency bylaw. An annual summary will also be presented in a report to council and subsequently posted online.

The city will also publish detailed expense reports dating back to October 2022, the beginning of the current term of council.

The report will include detailed transactions, including payee, date paid, amount, and a general description of the nature of the expense as it relates to city business.

Coun. Jamie Lowery said the strengthened bylaw is all about accountability.

“You start to see where your tax dollars are being spent and how it’s being spent,” Lowery said.

“Maybe it raises questions of how valuable that conference was or how valuable that purchase is or attending that event.”

Chirico’s expenses have been a hot topic in the city after it came to light that he used a city credit card to pay for $16,000 in personal expenses in 2023 and 2024.

In March 2024, chief financial officer Maragaret Karpenko flagged the spending to CAO John Severino and recommended that the card be revoked.

But documents obtained by CTV News show Chirico’s spending habits continued into 2025 -- and that Severino approved the expenses. The mayor finally turned in the card to Severino on July 4.

Some of the items include gas, car washes, $3,200 in seasonal golf memberships -- among other golf-related expenses (golf carts, snacks and soft drinks) -- at Osprey Links in Callander.

He also charged dog treats purchased at PetSmart, North Bay Battalion tickets, beer and wings at a hockey game, a meal with representative(s) from Clean, Green Beautiful North Bay at The Boat restaurant, Du Maurier select cigarettes and a car repair at Nissan.

The car repair expense was corrected and the payment was made from Chirico’s mileage reimbursement.

Ontario Provincial Police, integrity commissioner Guy Giorno and Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing are all conducting separate investigations into Chirico’s spending.

The inspector general also told Chirico not to perform his duties as a member of the city’s police services board until further notice.

Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield said Tuesday there is no timeline on when Giorno’s investigation will be completed.

“Hopefully, there will be some clarity on what transpired and it will give us some direction on how to move forward,” Horsfield told reporters after the meeting.

Last week, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. announced that Chirico is no longer participating in board decisions.

In a previous statement, Chirico said he will not resign and he maintains he’s done nothing wrong.

Lowery said the scandal is drawing unwanted attention to the city.

“With attracting that kind of attention, I think that certainly has had an effect on the city’s reputation,” he said.

“Let’s be honest. It’s a great city. It has so many good things. That’s for me, that’s the frustrating part.”

Closed-door motions

Also on the agenda Tuesday were two in-camera motions from Lowery and seconded by Coun. Sara Inch regarding “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees.”

Inch wanted to discuss the motions in public rather than behind closed doors, but that was rejected by other council members.

The city’s deputy city clerk, Véronique Hie, clarified the situation under section 37.2(b) of the procedural bylaw.

“If more than one member objects to the motion, the motion shall not be considered,” Hie said.

After the meeting, Inch stormed out in frustration.

That decision added to Peltier’s frustration.

“It needs to be in public -- this whole issue is a public concern,” she said.

“So, to have it in camera just detracts from more transparency and there’s less accountability.”

Lowery agreed.

“It has caused a lot of stress on this community,” he said.