A group in Sault Ste. Marie – formed two years ago after a local woman was murdered in a case of intimate partner violence – is calling on MPP Chris Scott to resign.
Earlier today, Lindsay Stewart, a co-founder of Angie’s Angels, posted a message on the group’s Facebook page urging him to "step down immediately as the member of provincial parliament for Sault Ste. Marie."
Stewart said she and other members of the group were shocked when they heard the news.
“When I first heard that Chris Scott had been charged, my mind immediately went to survivors — to Angie, to the three children we lost, and to every woman and family in our community who has lived through violence,” she said, referencing the 2023 murder of Angie Sweeney.
She was shot and killed by her former partner, Bobbie Hallaert, in a murder-suicide that also took the lives of his three children.
“The news was heartbreaking and frustrating, because it showed once again that intimate partner violence is not something distant — it happens right here, in our own community, even involving our elected leaders,” Stewart said.
Scott was arrested on Sunday night by the Toronto Police Service. The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service charged him with assault with a weapon and assault after his wife alleged she was assaulted with a high chair.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and Scott is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“It reminded me why Angie’s Angels exists: to make sure we don’t look away, and to keep pushing for change so that no one else has to go through what Angie’s family and so many others have endured,” Stewart said.
Last night, Angie's Angels participated in the Take Back the Night march that was organized by the Phoenix Rising Women’s Centre.
“We got together and expressed our feelings. Everybody with Angie's Angels was shocked and sad to hear the news about Chris Scott.
“Chris has to step down because our community deserves leadership rooted in safety, trust, and integrity,” Stewart said.
“We know that none of the allegations against him have been proven in court at this point and he is considered innocent until proven guilty, but the fact still remains that he’s accused of some very serious charges related to intimate partner violence.”
Another co-founder of Angie’s Angels, Renee Buczel, said Scott visited her home in late August when he was talking with constituents at their doors.
“He said he was out knocking on doors and connecting with the community. And I said, ‘Oh, wow. I'm Renee, I'm one of the co-founders of Angie's Angels,’ and I invited him to our rally on Oct. 23 to mark the two years since the tragic loss of Angie and the children.”
Buczel said she spent roughly 10 minutes outside her door talking with Scott about intimate partner violence and the work Angie’s Angels has done since Angie was murdered on Oct. 23, 2023.
She gave Scott information about the rally and he sent a text to someone in his office to make sure he would remember to attend.
“So when I heard the news, I would have been mortified regardless, but with the fact he just stood at my door and we had this conversation – and not even a month later he’s being charged for assaulting his wife . . . I was almost in disbelief,” she said.
He's "certainly not invited to come to our rally anymore," she said.
Buczel said Scott should resign now because people need to feel comfortable speaking with their elected officials.
“We need somebody that represents this community, where women and children feel safe going to him to discuss the issues and problems they're facing.
“I just think that now there is no way he's the person that members of this community are going to want to go to. He certainly doesn't represent what this community stands for and what we're trying to accomplish,” she said.
Premier Doug Ford expelled the 35-year-old from his caucus on Monday morning.
Despite calls from the NDP for him to resign, Scott has not addressed the charges to his constituents or to the media.
Toronto-based lawyer Michael Lacy, who is representing Scott, has not responded to an interview request or to questions sent via email.
The Voices Against Violence rally will be held on Thursday, Oct. 23 to mark the two-year anniversary since Sweeney and the children were killed.
It will run from noon until 1 p.m. at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion.