JASON SETNYK
Cornwall Councillor Maurice Dupelle was absent for all four special City Council meetings held for the 2026 municipal budget process, December 16, 17, and 18 and again January 7, marking the second consecutive year of minimal participation in the city’s most important annual planning exercise. The previous year, Dupelle attended only one budget meeting and arrived several hours late.
Integrity Commissioner David Boghosian’s report, released last fall, detailed Dupelle’s absences, his failure to complete training, and the optics of soliciting over $30,000 in personal loans from constituents and city staff-though only the cybersecurity lapse was found to have breached the Code of Conduct.
A 90-day pay suspension was enacted by Council in September 2025 for absenteeism and failing to complete cybersecurity training, officially ended December 9, just days before this year’s budget deliberations began. Dupelle has cited health and personal reasons for his absences
During the suspension, his participation in council activities remains inconsistent. His attendance during that period was sporadic, only attending virtually.
In addition to the pay suspension, Council removed Dupelle from three key boards in September 2025: the Police Services Board, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, and the Glen Stor Dun Lodge Committee of Management. The decision was tied to his “persistent absenteeism and lack of engagement,” especially on provincially mandated boards.
Adding to the controversy, the Standard-Freeholder revealed in last week that Mayor Justin Towndale withheld a 2024 letter from the Police Services Board requesting Dupelle’s removal. The mayor, who also sits on the police board, stated that such board appointments fall under his discretion and claimed he did not want to create a “public spectacle” while Dupelle was struggling personally.
Seaway News reached out to Dupelle via email for comment, but received no reply. Dupelle attended the regular meeting of Council on January 12 in person.
L’article Cllr. Dupelle misses budget meetings again est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
