An Armstrong council candidate has addressed questions circulating online about his past criminal charges.
A Facebook post had raised questions about whether someone with a criminal conviction is eligible to run for municipal office.
Brad Bourgeois, a candidate for Armstrong council in the Oct. 17 election, responded in a Facebook post outlining his history in the community and the circumstances he said led to several criminal charges.
“Regardless of the circumstances surrounding that night, I was responsible for my own actions, and I accept that,” he said in the post.
Bourgeois said he was involved in a fight in Enderby in 2008 while with three other people.
“I took the blame for everyone,” he said. “I was charged with assault causing bodily harm.”
Bourgeois also described an argument with his partner in 2011.
“I broke the glass in the front door and was charged with mischief under $5,000,” he described. “I was ordered to replace the door, which I did.”
Bourgeois said another incident occurred in 2020 after he discovered his partner was involved with another person.
“I was drinking. I was angry. I was hurt. I was dealing with emotions that I did not handle properly,” he said.
Bourgeois said he was charged with break and enter and uttering death threats. He said he later served 15 months of house arrest and eight months under a curfew after turning himself in.
Provincial government guidelines say several circumstances can make someone ineligible to run for local office in B.C., including if the person has been convicted and sentenced for an indictable offence and is in custody.
Other grounds for disqualification include certain election offences and disqualifications imposed under the Local Government Act or other legislation.
Bourgeois is listed as a candidate for Armstrong council in the Oct. 17 municipal election.
He said he does not make excuses for his actions or blame others for his choices.
“I made mistakes, I faced the consequences, I took accountability, I changed,” he said.
“And I have nothing to hide.”
Bourgeois’s Facebook post drew comments from people commending him for discussing his past and taking responsibility for his actions.
