Bottoms up! Ontario councillor under fire for drinking beer during meeting

A London, Ont., councillor has raised eyebrows aft being caught connected camera drinking what appears to beryllium a brew during a caller assembly meeting.

Coun. Sam Trosow attended a assembly gathering virtually connected Sept. 24 arsenic helium was retired of town, which was streamed unrecorded to the public.

About 3 hours and 20 minutes in, helium turned connected his camera and indicated helium wished to remark arsenic his chap assembly members weighed successful connected the city’s plan.

He past walked distant from the camera and returned to his seat, portion taking a sip of a frothy, amber-coloured beverage.

In a text, Trosow told Global News that helium was retired of town, six hours up astatine the time, and can’t callback whether helium was drinking a brew oregon a near-beer.

“That could person been a zero brew but I americium not a 100 per cent sure,” helium wrote.

While Trosow remains distant from the metropolis until Sunday, different assembly members person heard from members of the nationalist connected the matter.

“Well, I didn’t spot it successful the moment, but aft past Tuesday’s assembly gathering I did person a mates of members of the assemblage scope retired to maine and successful 1 case, nonstop maine a screenshot and say, ‘What is going connected here? Why is Coun. Trosow drinking brew during a assembly meeting?’” Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said.

He says that it is not up to members of assembly to constabulary 1 different and has directed those who are funny to the integrity commissioner’s office.

“I provided them the codification of behaviour that they tin review,” helium said. “I’ve provided them with the integrity commissioner’s interaction and it’s truly successful their hands astatine that constituent for the members of the nationalist to determine whether oregon not they privation to determination guardant with that process.”

Lewis noted that the codification of behaviour does not explicitly authorities thing astir councillors drinking during meetings but the codification of behaviour does marque notation of councillors’ decorum.

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John Mascarin, a Toronto lawyer who specializes successful municipal politics, said that it would apt beryllium irrelevant that it was not explicitly stated.

“You would expect a assembly subordinate who’s attending a ceremonial gathering astatine which decisions volition beryllium made to dainty it with the due modicum of respect. That would see being decently attired, not utilizing immoderate profane language, and likely, astir radical would say, not consuming alcoholic beverages,” helium said.

“So to me, a codification of behaviour doesn’t person to spell to the explicit grade that it explicitly identifies those types of things, including not having alcoholic beverages astatine the clip of a meeting. You would deliberation that that would beryllium an implied work of a subordinate of council.”

Lewis is not definite if immoderate complaints person been lodged with the integrity commissioner arsenic it is not mean signifier to marque members of assembly alert of complaints lodged against different members of assembly but Trosow is acceptable to look the consequences.

“In immoderate event, it was mediocre judgement and I bash recognize determination volition apt beryllium integrity commissioner complaints, and I volition beryllium prepared to judge specified consequences from that process,” helium said. “I besides regret that this has distracted from the substance of the important debate.”