Pictou County councillor pleads not guilty to Municipal Elections Act violations

Update, June 27, 2023: All Municipal Election Act charges against Peter Doyle were dismissed on June 21, 2023, in Pictou provincial court after the Crown determined there was no realistic prospect of conviction. 

A municipal councillor for Nova Scotia's Pictou County has pleaded not guilty to 24 violations of the Municipal Elections Act.

A 10-day trial for Peter Boyles was set Thursday for September 2023 in Pictou provincial court.

Boyles was charged in August 2021 after a lengthy investigation by New Glasgow Regional Police into alleged misconduct during the 2020 municipal election.

Half of the charges are for voting when he was not qualified to do so and the other half are for violating the town of Trenton's alternate voting bylaw. The violations involve 12 different people over a two-week period.

Boyles had been acclaimed as a Pictou County councillor, but he was helping his half-brother, Don Hussher, run for mayor of Trenton.

At the time, Boyles told CBC News he allowed some people at a seniors' home to use his phone to e-vote, but stopped after a discussion with the returning officer.

There have been several delays in setting a trial because Boyles said he is having difficulty finding a lawyer familiar with the Municipal Elections Act.

Thursday was his fourth court date since January. He still does not have a lawyer and expressed confusion over the number of charges.

If Boyles is convicted he could face a fine and will lose his council seat.