Man accused of harassing Sudbury mayor speaks out after charge dropped
A 34-year-old man who used to live in Sudbury is sharing his side of the story after a criminal harassment charge involving former Mayor Brian Bigger in 2021 was dropper earlier this year.
Andrew Ouellette, who now lives in Alberta, told CTV News in a phone interview he lost several mining job opportunities due to the harassment charge.
Ouellette said he went to the former mayor's house uninvited to talk to him about solutions for people in the city experiencing homelessness.
"All I wanted to do was help these people," he said.
"Just because they are homeless, just because they are going through a hard time, I wasn't doing it for attention, I wanted to get answers."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Ouellette said after talking to some people at the downtown Sudbury homeless encampment, he had reached out to Bigger, but hadn't heard anything back and cold weather was approaching.
He said he was told by a city employee that due to COVID-19, the former mayor was working from home, so he went to the house Nov. 16, 2021, to ask him a few questions.
Something that Bigger told CTV News isn't appropriate.
"You need to remember we are people, too, and hopefully people can respect our privacy and the safety of our family members," the former mayor said.
And Sudbury police agreed.
"This is a reminder that there are proper and appropriate channels available to community members who are looking to contact public officials," police said.
"Attending an individual’s private residence is not an appropriate avenue. Please be respectful of their privacy and the privacy and safety of their family members."
Ouellette said he recorded video of himself walking up to Biggar's house, rang the doorbell and was only there once for about three minutes. He denies banging on the door, as previously reported by Sudbury police. CTV News has not been able to verify this claim.
Ouellette said he is just happy the charge was dropped, but more needs to be done to help the homeless and vulnerable.
"Be the change you want to see, because sometimes it takes only one person to make a difference," Ouellette said.
The Sudbury courthouse confirmed that the criminal harassment charge was withdrawn on Jan. 23 and replaced with a peace bond.
"The conditions in the peace bond contain a no contact with Brian Bigger or his immediate family and to remain 100 m away from any known place him or his family live, work, go to school or any place known to be," Sudbury courthouse said in an email to CTV News.
"To not attain the residence of any public official or attend on Maureen Crescent, Sudbury, ON (between Gemmell Street and Downland Avenue) And a weapons prohibition."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Pastrnak scores winner, Bruins down Leafs 2-1 in overtime in Game 7
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
A driver dies after crashing into a security barrier around the White House complex, authorities say
A driver died after a vehicle crashed into an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, and the incident late Saturday was being investigated as a traffic crash, police said. U.S. President Joe Biden was spending the weekend in Delaware, and the Secret Service said there was no threat to the White House.
Warren Buffett says AI may be better for scammers than society. And he's seen how
Warren Buffett cautioned the tens of thousands of shareholders who packed an arena for his annual meeting that artificial intelligence scams could become "the growth industry of all time."