After being ejected from Sarnia City Council’s budget meeting for disruptive personal attacks against the mayor and fellow members, Councillor Bill Dennis says he will apologize to get back to work.
“Was it right to get personal?” he asks in an interview with the Journal. “No, it’s never right. Believe me, I’ve been reminded about that by my mother and my wife for the last week or so.”
During the November 26 virtual meeting, Councillor Dennis told Mayor Mike Bradley to “f– off,” calling him a “drunk,” a “cokehead,” a “damned crook,” and a “joke.” He called Councillor Adam Kilner a “joke as a pastor,” a “fruitcake,” and repeatedly said “kiss my a–.”
Councillor Dennis's outburst transpired when council members called for order when he became increasingly heated in delivering his opinions and was calling out Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Chris Carter.
In the November 26 meeting, the topic of fees for consultants had arisen and Councillor Dennis was objecting to the amount spent. CAO Chris Carter and other staff provided insights contrary to the councillor’s perceptions of the issue.
They described how consultant allocations are for specialized project staff, specifically trained individuals, such as architects or structural engineers, that are not full-time city staff. Using these individuals as consultants rather than as permanent staff offsets increases to the long-term operating budget.
Councillor Dennis referenced $3 million as the price tag for these consultants, but city staff demonstrated that those numbers were closer to $2.17 million 2024 and $1.6 million for 2025, the budget year in question.
Councillor Dennis became upset at CAO Carter for allegedly failing to provide him with those numbers before the budget meeting, and disputed the 2024 numbers. He said, “It’s been very typical of you for the last six months. I’m an elected official. I asked for that information and you never gave it to me.”
As an example of out-of-control spending on consultant fees, Councillor Dennis brought up a proposal from the previous council meeting (a motion, it should be noted, that did not pass by unanimous vote) that would have seen marketing consultants hired for approximately $35,000 to inform how much to charge for naming rights for the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
Mayor Bradley interrupted and asked Councillor Dennis if he had a motion. He responded “Cut it in half, cut the damn thing in half.” He continued, “These guys, the reason they go to consultants all the time is most of the senior staff isn’t from here, most of them don’t live here, they have no idea…”
At this point, Councillors Anne Marie Gillis and Adam Kilner called for order, which agitated Councillor Dennis even more. He called them “sellouts.” Mayor Bradley ruled that his behaviour was unacceptable, at which point Councillor Dennis began to hurl invective. The meeting came to a halt and resumed a short time later with Councillor Dennis expelled.
“It’s the first time in 36 years I’ve used the rules of order to expel a member,” says Mayor Mike Bradley speaking to the Journal. “This is conduct so beyond slanderous toward various individuals, including staff, including councillors, and this is not the first time.”
The incident highlights the ongoing friction between Councillor Dennis and other council members, city staff, and members of the public, as concerns continue to be raised about his conduct in and out of meetings.
Regarding Councillor Dennis’s conduct, Mayor Bradley tells us, “Everywhere I go, people say to me, ‘If I did that in the workplace, I’d be gone in 20 seconds.”
At the same time, the Ontario government has just introduced legislation that will give municipalities tools to potentially remove councillors who violate the Code of Conduct.
Councillor Dennis has three times been previously found to be in violation of Council’s Code of Conduct by the Integrity Commissioner.
In a post on social media, Councillor Dennis identified himself as the subject of a workplace harassment complaint filed at city hall in the spring. This complaint is what led to council meetings returning to virtual format, as well as the directive to Councillor Dennis that all of his communication with city staff go through CAO Carter.
“Protecting your employees in the workplace, it’s paramount,” says Mayor Bradley.
Regarding CAO Carter, Councillor Dennis says, ”If I become mayor he’s fired. Day one, he’s fired. It’s the first act I’ll do. He knows that, so he’s doing everything in his power to make me look bad.”
“When I’m questioning the CAO, I get all these idiots jumping in and saying ‘point of order, point of order,’” he says, referring to fellow council members. “That really bugs the hell out of me. I’m entitled to ask him questions, to bring my points up. Then, of course, they bait me. They don’t like me. I don’t like them and that’s fine.
In October, Councillor Dennis filed a $200,000 lawsuit alleging that CAO Carter has been deliberately undermining him. The lawsuit also names the corporation of the City of Sarnia.
“We’ve had to engage two different legal groups to respond to this,” says Mayor Bradley. “The amount of money taxpayers are spending defending two lawsuits. Tens and tens of thousands of dollars.”
Communications Manager for the city, Steve Henschel, tells the Journal, “It would be inappropriate to provide any comment related to, or that could be perceived to be related to, any ongoing legal matter or Occupational Health and Safety investigation.”
The Employee Code of Conduct for city staff states, “Employees shall treat all Members of Council with professionalism and courtesy, must not favour, nor be seen to favour, the interests of one Member over the interests of Council as a whole.”
Regarding his conduct during the November 26 meeting, Councillor Dennis says it was unfortunate that he lost his cool, but says, “People are hung up on that, they should be hung up on the fact some of these clowns on Council are making decisions that are destroying our city.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated, "The position of CAO, it should be noted, is not solely determined by the mayor but by Council as a whole," which is incorrect, as the Strong Mayor legislation does grant the mayor that authority.