Cigarettes, golf memberships, dog treats charged to corporate card by Ontario mayor

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The woman who filed a Freedom of Information Act request to gain access to expense reports filed by North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico says she was shocked by what she uncovered.

Standing outside city hall on McIntyre Street, Nicole Peltier said the 900 pages released to her and her friend, Kevin Ferris, covered just two and a half years of expenses.

“If … I found this much, there’s more behind that,” Peltier said.

The FOI stems from a financial review that found Chirico spent $16,000 on personal items in 2023 and 2024 and used a city corporate card to pay for it all.

Peltier has received Chirico’s expense reports from both of those years, as well as his expense reports in 2025 to date, alongside his mileage reports and the City of North Bay’s expense policy.

The documents show the mayor used the corporate credit card to pay for gas, car washes, at least $3,200 in seasonal golf memberships -- among other 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 at The Boat restaurant, Du Maurier select cigarettes and a car repair at Nissan.

That expense was corrected and the payment was made from Chirico’s mileage reimbursement.

‘He should resign’

Peltier said there should be consequences for the mayor’s actions, even if he has since repaid the money.

“Do not use the city’s credit card as your personal line of credit or to make your public image more elevated,” she said.

“He should resign, or at the very least council needs to vote to suspend him and dock his pay.”

There are other expenses that raise eyebrows. They include a gift for Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield, a toy donation and scones from Cobbs Bakery every month for the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce meeting.

In a statement, Horsfield defended the gift she received:

“I’ve received some questions from citizens, and I want to set the record straight. To clarify, the gift in the mayor’s expense report was not intended for me personally -- it was a gesture celebrating the birth of my son. Context is essential when reviewing these matters, and I appreciate the opportunity to provide it.”

Before he was elected as mayor, Chirico was the chamber president and CEO.

“On the back of one of the LCBO receipts from December for Christmas, Peter Chirico wrote John S., Gord Y. and Linda, his assistant,” Peltier said.

“So he bought them almost $50 bottles of alcohol each.”

The FOI documents also show Chirico dined at Churchill’s Prime Rib House on May 2, 2024, with Severino, then Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota and Nipissing University President Kevin Wamsley, where he picked up the tab of just shy of $750.

He also paid for a meal at Average Joe’s restaurant the same day, worth $732 with Canadore College president Geroge Burton and then 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Commander Richard Jolette.

Documents show that city CAO John Severino verified all expenses through the city’s travel and expense policy.

“Out of respect for the process, I will not be commenting at this time, as the matter is currently under review by the integrity commissioner,” Severino wrote in an email to CTV News.

The city’s travel and expense policy reads, in part:

“In order to qualify as a reimbursable expense, it must be demonstrated that the expense is in line with council policies, is justified as a city business requirement, is documented on appropriate city forms with clear receipts attached and is reasonable and conservative and in line with public sector norms.”

While the controversy has raged in the media, councillors voted last Tuesday not to hire an independent auditor to probe Chirico’s expenses, and to rely on the integrity commissioner’s investigation instead.

The vote was 7-3.

It’s a decision that doesn’t sit right with Peltier and she’s hoping taxpayers will hold council accountable next election.

“There needs to be a cleaning out. And sunshine is the best disinfectant,” she said.

Council did vote unanimously to instruct city staff to bring forward a transparency and accountability bylaw, requiring council and mayoral expenses to be published online every quarter. The bylaw will be ready by the fall.

According to the documents, several purchases were made in September and October 2024 at the Battalion hockey games, Osprey links, Canadian Tire and Esso.

No description

But there is no description of what was bought and there were no receipts provided.

Chirico has maintained that all expenses were repaid and said he will not resign. It was the mayor who called for the investigation by North Bay integrity commissioner Guy Giorno.

A message sent to Giorno by CTV News seeking information on how long his investigation would take has not been returned.

But Peltier said a third-party audit must take place because the integrity commissioner’s investigation is limited to Chirico’s adherence to the city’s code of conduct.

She said she and Ferris plan to file another FOI into Chirico’s 2022 expense reports and that they are hoping to learn more from those.

The whole situation “is egregious,” she added.

The documents in their entirety can be viewed here.