It was recommended to impose sanctions on a member of the council of a municipality in Eastern Ontario after he delivered a speech at a community event while intoxicated and was involved in two separate physical altercations with residents on the same day last year.

Integrity Commissioner Tony Fleming from Cunningham, Swan, Cartie, Little, and Bonham was called to investigate complaints of a code of conduct against Adrian Bougie, a member of North Stormont Township Council, due to his alleged behavior during the grand opening of the Moose Creek Recreation Hall on September 30, 2023.

The complaints alleged that Bougie attended the event in his official capacity as a councilor and gave a speech about the new hall. It was reported that Bougie was "very heavily intoxicated" during the event, and it was noted that he was "drinking alcohol throughout the day," according to witnesses interviewed in the integrity commissioner's investigation.

One complaint stated that he was observed slurring his speech and that one of the bartenders refused to serve him more alcohol.

Bougie informed the integrity commissioner that he did not remember how much alcohol he had consumed, but he estimated that he had "3 or 4 glasses of beer."

The integrity commissioner found that "based on the evidence we received, our conclusion is that it is likely that the member was intoxicated at the event."

The report states that Bougie later participated in two separate physical altercations with residents, although code of conduct violations were only found in one incident. In another altercation, the report mentioned that he was defending himself from being attacked by several residents and he was not found in violation of council regulations.

The integrity commissioner was asked to determine whether Bougie had violated a clause in the code of conduct that prohibits council members from performing their official duties while impaired, and another section of the code of conduct requires members to "refrain from conduct that constitutes discrimination, intimidation, harassment, or verbal abuse, or mistreatment of others."

The integrity commissioner recommended that the township council impose a 30-day suspension of pay due to two violations of the code of conduct for "mistreatment" of a resident and appearing intoxicated while performing official duties. It is unclear whether Bougie or other involved residents could face criminal charges.