North Bay, Ont., mayor turns in his credit card

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North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico no longer has a corporate credit card, a city spokesperson confirmed Friday.

“Mayor Chirico turned over his corporate credit card to the Chief Administrative Officer on July 4,” Gord Young said in an email to CTV News on Friday.

Chirico has been under fire since it emerged earlier this year that he had used the corporate card to pay for $16,000 in personal expenses, including gifts, cigarettes and golf club memberships in 2023 and 2024.

He has said that he repaid the money and has asked the city’s integrity commissioner to investigate the incident.

North Bay city council rejected a recent motion to have the mayor’s use of the card reviewed by a forensic auditor, deciding to instead rely on the review by Guy Giorno, the city’s integrity commissioner.

Last week, it emerged that outgoing chief financial officer Margaret Karpenko recommended in early 2024 that Chirico’s card privileges be revoked, but that recommendation was not acted on.

Karpenko has since been named CFO in Greater Sudbury.

Chirico’s use of the card for personal items continued until late 2024, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

Earlier this week, a city council vote on whether to hold a special meeting on the issue was defeated in a 5-5 vote, with the mayor not voting because he declared a conflict of interest.

The next regular meeting of city council is Aug. 12.