‘You’re a joke’: Ontario councillor tossed from meeting after insult-laced tirade

A councilor successful Sarnia, Ont., was tossed from fund deliberations connected Tuesday aft repeatedly berating chap councillors and unit portion utilizing immoderate explosive language.

Coun. Bill Dennis began to get heated astatine the gathering connected Tuesday arsenic helium was questioning metropolis unit implicit the magnitude being spent connected consultants.

He was past asked to array a question earlier helium went off, saying to others connected the Zoom call, “you are a joke. You’re thing but a clump of sellouts.”

When chap councillor Adam Kilner, who is simply a pastor, attempted to intervene, Dennis responded with, “You’re a joke, arsenic a, arsenic a, arsenic a pastor. You should ashamed of yourself.”

As Mayor Mike Bradley attempted to reconstruct bid helium told him, “Kiss my ass, you drunk. You cokehead.”

Bradley past unopen down the meeting, which was held implicit a Zoom call, arsenic Dennis was fixed the footwear aft being warned to apologize oregon else.

“Well, it was unusual,” Bradley told Global News connected Wednesday morning. “I person ne'er expelled a subordinate of assembly for their behaviour. And we’re talking 36 years of chairing meetings.

“The counselor’s behaviour yesterday was truthful unacceptable, swearing and attacking myself and unit and different councillor, it conscionable wasn’t acceptable. And I cannot, arsenic chair, let that to continue.”

Global News besides spoke with Dennis connected Wednesday morning, and portion helium did not marque notation of an apology, helium did accidental helium regretted his prime of words.

“Do I regret the vulgarity? 100 per cent,” helium said. “It’s ne'er OK to enactment similar that successful the public.”

This is not the archetypal clip determination person been issues betwixt assembly and the outspoken councillor.

“We person a large occupational wellness probe has been going connected for months astir the councillor,” Bradley said. “And I tin accidental that due to the fact that usually we wouldn’t disclose that. But helium has, due to the fact that helium thinks that’s a badge of honour.”

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This has led to the metropolis holding each of their meetings via Zoom calls.

“The crushed we’re connected Zoom is due to the fact that of this idiosyncratic to commencement with, due to the fact that of his behaviour successful the past that has an strength of attacking radical and and precise descriptive, nasty idiosyncratic attacks,” the politician said.

Bradley besides noted that Dennis has filed lawsuits against some the metropolis and CAO Chris Carter.

The Sarnia politician said that determination is precise small recourse for municipalities successful dealing with problematic behaviour from elected officials.

“The occupation is the lone punishment that’s determination close present is simply a 90-day wage freeze, which truly means thing erstwhile you’re part-time councillor and that’s it,” Bradley said. “So the sanctions are precise fewer and acold between.”

He said due to the fact that of issues successful different communities, a petition the state has been asked to let for further recourse

“There’s been a fig of requests to the province, including from Pickering, to person the state acceptable up authorities truthful that if (a) councillor moves beyond oregon a politician moves beyond what is acceptable to their ain community, they tin beryllium removed from office,” the politician explained.