Collingwood Coun. Bob Madigan has confirmed he will continue running for deputy mayor while facing an assault charge in court.
Documents sworn in to the court on Sept. 12 confirmed Madigan was charged with assault related to an alleged incident on Sept. 5 in Collingwood. He was arrested on Sept. 6 and his first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 27. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Madigan told CollingwoodToday.ca on Sept. 16 that he is still running for deputy mayor. He filed his nomination papers on July 5 and nominations closed on Aug. 19.
The Municipal Elections Act permits any person to maintain their elected position on council and/or run for a council seat as long as they are permitted to vote in the municipality.
Only a person serving a jail sentence is prohibited from voting in a municipal election. Therefore, not even a criminal conviction would require a council member to be removed from office or prevent a person from running for office in Ontario, if there is no jail sentence attached to the conviction.
Collingwood council's code of conduct does not address criminal charges against council members.
The integrity commissioner does not investigate allegations of criminal nature.
The municipal election takes place Oct. 24, 2022. In Collingwood, there are three candidates for deputy mayor on the ballot including Madigan and Tim Fryer. Jordan Fleming has withdrawn her candidacy and will not be running for the deputy-mayor job. Her name will still appear on the ballot, however.
