Brownsburg-Chatham mayor accused of criminal misconduct

Questions of criminal misconduct between a municipal councillor and the mayor were addressed at the Brownsburg-Chatham council meeting on Monday, May 9.

Resident Jean-Sebastien Patrice initially asked Mayor Georges Dinel, during question period, to confirm if rumours were true that there was an ongoing criminal investigation involving council.

Dinel replied he was unaware of such a case and moved on to the next question.

Council exploded during the second question period when Councillor André McNicoll requested permission to answer Patrice. He stated there was an ongoing investigation, in which he had laid criminal charges against the mayor.

McNicoll said the alleged incident occurred on Tuesday, March 29, during a municipal caucus meeting in which the mayor allegedly threatened him with physical violence. Following that meeting, for which the majority of council was present, McNicoll said he called police.

One week later, he said he was removed from caucus by the mayor.

Following the Monday night council meeting, McNicoll told The Review he has contacted his lawyer and has written a letter to the Quebec Ministry of Justice with a request to review his case. He also presented a letter from the Ministry of Justice stating that Dinel has been charged with simple assault, under article 266 of the Canadian Criminal Code.

"I am the victim and I wasn't even approached [by the prosecutor], I was just sent a letter stating that I had the right to proceed with this case and that the mayor was being charged with assault," McNicoll said, adding: "[The prosecutors] are treating him like a juvenile and protecting him from prosecution using an exception to the Juvenile Code that applies to special cases. There is no case where there should be an exception for violence and this should not be accepted."

During the council meeting, Dinel refused to answer further questions regarding the alleged assault or McNicoll's expulsion from caucus, stating the "matter was confidential and that it involved a matter of confidentiality."

McNicoll later stated he felt the mayor was blaming him for an incident in which he said he was the victim, noting, "I have been blamed for this and the mayor is falsely accusing me of breaching confidentiality."

When asked by a resident if he would remain mayor during this process, Dinel replied, "I am the mayor, and I will remain the mayor."