NORTH BAY — North Bay City Council voted Wednesday night to suspend Mayor Peter Chirico without pay for 60 days.
This follows an Integrity Commissioner’s report that found he violated the City’s Code of Conduct in relation to thousands of dollars in corporate credit card expenses.
Integrity Commissioner Guy Giorno opened the meeting with a 20-minute presentation summarizing his 31-page report, which concluded that Chirico breached the Code in relation to $5,557.77 of $17,253.01 in, according to Giorno and Chirico, reimbursed expenses.
See: Chirico violated the Code of Conduct, says Integrity Commissioner on Mayor’s spending
Council then spent roughly an hour and a half questioning Giorno about his findings, but the exchange produced few new details beyond what was already contained in the report.
Councillors pressed the Integrity Commissioner on process, timelines, and interpretations of allowable expenses, but Giorno’s responses largely reiterated his written conclusions—that Chirico had contravened the Code of Conduct in a limited number of instances and had since repaid all funds in question.
Before the debate on penalties began, Mayor Chirico read a statement from the chair.
“In June, I requested the Integrity Commissioner undertake a comprehensive investigation into my expenses following concerns that had been raised,” Chirico said.
“All expenses detailed in the report were claimed transparently, and any personal expenses have been repaid in full. When I used the City credit card for personal expenses, it was always understood that they would be reimbursed. On a few occasions, there were good-faith misunderstandings regarding allowable expenses, and I accept responsibility for them.”
His remarks were interrupted when North Bay resident Nicole Peltier, who, along with Kevin Ferris, obtained details of the Mayor’s expenses through a Freedom of Information request, called on him to resign.
See: Details of Mayor Chirico’s expenses in new FOI documents
And: Chirico must resign, CAO fired, says citizen behind exposing spending scandal
Police were called, and Peltier did not return to Council Chambers following a 10-minute recess.
When the meeting resumed, Chirico completed his statement, saying, “Now with the report complete, my focus remains on continuing to serve our community. I look forward to Council’s consideration of the report and to any recommendations that are made.”
Council had the choice to either take no action, issue a reprimand, or hand a suspension of up to 90 days without pay.
Two earlier motions—one for a 90-day suspension and another for 80 days—failed after 5–5 tie votes. Councillors Mac Bain, Gary Gardiner, Lana Mitchell, Chris Mayne, and Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield voted against the harsher penalties, while Councillors Jamie Lowery, Mark King, Sara Inch, Justine Mallah, and Tanya Vrebosch supported the maximum 90 days.
The deadlock was broken when Deputy Mayor Horsfield changed her position to support a 60-day suspension, a motion brought forward by Councillor Vrebosch and seconded by Councillor King.
Councillor Gary Gardiner said the Mayor had already paid a price publicly and personally.
“The Mayor did breach the Code of Conduct and he’s taken responsibility,” Gardiner said.
“That breach alone will take him out of the next election. It’s been played out in the media to the detriment of his family, his children, his grandchildren, and his name. In my mind, he’s suffered enough.”
Councillor King made one of the strongest appeals of the night, urging colleagues to support a meaningful penalty.
“You know, the general public can see the emotion that’s happening here at this table, and certainly I feel emotional about it,” King said.
“The disappointment I feel that this Council has been dragged through this whole scenario is, in my mind, despicable. And it’s going to pay a price for those who are interested in trying to stay here as councillors, without question.”
“I know a couple are not going to run again,” he continued.
See: North Bay Council members weigh re-election decisions as 2026 vote one year away
“But the reality is, we’re at this table representing the public. From what I’ve seen around the City, there’s a genuine concern over what transpired. Quite frankly, the Mayor contravened the Code of Conduct, and the Mayor is accountable. We as a Council have an obligation to move at least something forward so that the public can say, ‘Well, at least they did something.’”
King said the issue had damaged public trust and staff morale.
“If we don’t pass something that shows the Mayor will be held responsible, I’m not sure we’ll regain the public trust,” he said. “So please, someone support this so we can move forward and put an end to it.”
At one point, Councillor Mallah was overcome with emotion and wiped away tears as the discussion continued.
During the debate for comparison, it was mentioned that in 2023, how Council had imposed a penalty of a loss of remuneration for 90 days on Councillor Inch for breaches of the Code in a ruling that said Inch harassed Deputy Mayor Horsfield via email and social media posts.
See: Unanimous penalty for city councillor due to harassment
Following the meeting, Councillor Vrebosch said she believes the Mayor should have received the full 90-day suspension.
“It should have been the 90 days based on past practice and what the report said,” she told the media, noting an earlier mention of discussing a forensic audit again.
See: Push for transparency stalls as North Bay Council drops audit motion
“But this report was within a very narrow scope. It didn’t look at all the players or the events that brought us here. Council still needs to address that to regain public trust.”
Deputy Mayor Horsfield, whose vote secured the 60-day outcome, said the process had taken a toll on everyone.
“There was a cost to taxpayers and residents, and the report found that he did contravene the Code of Conduct,” she said.
“Unfortunately, people have come to other conclusions outside of what was presented to us, and that’s made it even more difficult.”
Councillor Chris Mayne said he voted against the 90-day option because the expenses had been repaid before the report’s release.
“All the decisions toward the expenditures were made with discussions with senior Staff,” Mayne said.
“Eventually, there were differences of opinion, but everything was reimbursed. I don’t see it as the same level of breach as if it had never been reported or repaid.”
After the vote, King said he hoped the decision would help the City move forward.
“It’s been a long haul and a very difficult process,” he said.
“I hope the public recognizes how much work went into this and that we can get the City back on a solid footing. I’d like to see the Mayor find a way through to the end of his term and help govern properly.”
Ferris, who helped expose the spending, said the penalty wasn't enough.
“They should have gone with the max,” Ferris said.
“Kinda crazy when a councillor was sanctioned for 90 days over social media, this is much more severe than any of that ... There is no function on this Council. And it was good to see a couple of members step up and say the right thing, but the usual group sticks together ... we’ll take the 60.”
Ferris continued, "The public opinion for this group is terrible. You just go online anywhere and read the comments. You'd be hard-pressed to find one comment supporting any of what that group of five was voting for tonight."
See: Future uncertain for North Bay mayor after integrity findings