Relationship between Niagara Falls councillor and City solicitor revealed during sexual assault trial raise conflict of interest concerns

Last month, Niagara Falls Councillor Mike Strange was found not guilty of assaulting his former common-law partner. The issue that sparked the violent altercation between the couple in May last year has exposed a problematic relationship between Strange and Niagara Falls City solicitor Nidhi Punyarthi. 

As previously reported by The Pointer, testimony during the two-day criminal trial confirmed that Strange has been in a romantic affair with Punyarthi. 

The court heard the affair had become a persistent source of strain in Strange’s relationship with his then common-law partner, with tensions over the infidelity continuing for nearly a year before the violent confrontation that led to the criminal charge. 

Strange testified that he and his common-law partner at the time had argued about the affair “like 50 times” over the previous year. Crown counsel underscored that history during submissions, referring to the incident at the centre of the case as the “51st time.”  

While the City solicitor was not identified by name, with Strange’s ex-partner only referencing his affair with a municipal lawyer, The Pointer confirmed the individual in question was Punyarthi, who accompanied Strange throughout the two day trial.

Strange was found not guilty after he argued it was his partner at the time who assaulted him, and that her injuries were sustained when she violently crashed into a dresser during the altercation. The judge ruled he did not have enough evidence to refute Strange’s claims, even though his former partner testified her injuries were caused by Strange’s alleged violent attack. Due to lapses in her memory, the judge ruled that while he felt she was credible, there was no conclusive evidence against Strange. 

Niagara Falls Councillor Mike Strange (left) enters a St. Catharine's courtroom alongside Nidhi Punyarthi, the city solicitor for Niagara Falls. His trial for domestic assault heard that Strange's infidelity with Punyarthi was the source of an argument that turned violent last year. He was found not guilty.

(Ed Smith/The Pointer)

The relationship raises questions about a conflict of interest for Punyarthi when handling matters involving Strange, for example work she co-authored last year.

In July, the City released a report titled Restrictions on Certain Forms of Participation in Council Meetings. It was co-authored by CAO Jason Burgess, City Clerk Bill Matson and Punyarthi, who is listed both as an author and as the submitting legal official.

The report arose from protests at Niagara Falls City Council meetings in June 2025.

At the time, Councillor Strange was still serving on council while awaiting trial. His continued presence became a complicating factor in the City’s ability to carry out routine business after officials ruled that a delegate representing Women of Ontario Say No (WOSN), an organization advocating for stricter accountability rules for elected officials, would not be permitted to address council. Mayor Jim Diodati cited concerns that remarks could touch directly on the ongoing criminal proceedings involving Strange. Despite assurances that the women’s rights advocates would avoid making any connection to Strange’s domestic assault case, the mayor refused to allow them time to address council about proposed provincial legislation that would introduce stricter rules for council members charged with a crime. 

The City’s refusal to allow the group to speak triggered a chain of events that culminated in the arrest of Regional Councillor Haley Bateman and two others who held up signs in council chambers in support of WOSN. 

Bateman was attending in her private capacity as an advocate for WOSN. She was taken, along with two other women, into custody after refusing repeated instructions from Mayor Diodati to remove small signs with the words “Women of Ontario Say No.” 

Three women were arrested at Niagara Falls City Hall in June last year for holding signs in support of the Women of Ontario Say No.

(Ed Smith/The Pointer files)

In response to the incident, the City of Niagara Falls advanced the “Restrictions on Certain Forms of Participation in Council Meetings” report, which urged Niagara Region to consider sanctions against Bateman for her involvement.

The report was approved by Niagara Falls council at its July 8 meeting, and was subsequently forwarded to Regional Council. Regional staff later returned the correspondence to Niagara Falls without taking any action against Bateman. 

Referring to the events of the June meeting, the report stated that City staff believe “there is grounds to lodge an Integrity Commissioner complaint against Regional Councillor Bateman who participated in these activities” and for the commissioner to comment on the “appropriateness” of her conduct.

The July 8 report concerned expressions of advocacy tied specifically to Strange’s continued presence on council while facing criminal charges. 

The report highlighted that: “Staff determined that the true subject of the deputation pertained to a matter that was currently in litigation in the court system. The deputation request was denied on the basis that the subject matter pertains to an ongoing legal proceeding.”

This section of the report co-authored by Punyarthi is problematic. She does not explain how staff determined the “true subject” of the requested deputation was Strange’s ongoing criminal case, at the time. The advocate who requested to speak to council about the proposed provincial legislation said that was the only issue she would address and specifically said she would not mention Strange’s case.

While the report co-authored by Punyarthi recommended an integrity commissioner investigation into Bateman’s conduct, there was no such recommendation regarding Strange’s conduct, after he addressed council to talk about his case in public, defending himself against the assault charge, which Mayor Diodati had said was explicitly forbidden when he told the WOSN advocate that no discussion of an ongoing criminal case was allowed. 

The report was co-authored and submitted by Punyarthi and at the council meeting the motion to receive it was made by Strange. The City of Niagara Falls did not address questions from The Pointer about the apparent conflict of interest: Punyarthi co-authored the report while she and Strange were in an intimate relationship. 

How staff determined the “true” subject of the proposed deputation by the member of WOSN is not explained in the public record. At the time, representatives of WOSN maintained that their request to address Niagara Falls council was tied to the provincial committee hearings scheduled in Niagara Falls the following week. The committee was collecting public submissions on Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act, as part of a review process that could lead to amendments including tougher rules for council members facing credible allegations of wrongdoing. WOSN has advocated across Ontario for legislative changes it believes are necessary, making its request to delegate to council on the issue consistent with its broader provincial campaign.

The relationship between the City’s solicitor and a sitting councillor raises potential accountability questions for both. As an elected official, Strange is bound by the City’s Code of Conduct. 

Pertaining to councillor relations with staff, the Code requires that: “Members must respect staff and acknowledge that staff are required to provide objective advice while remaining neutral,” and “No Member shall use their authority or influence to improperly interfere with the lawful exercise of the duties of staff.”

This provision is designed to protect staff neutrality.

The Code also emphasizes public trust, accountability and the requirement that the conduct of each member be of the highest standard.

Because Punyarthi is a licensed lawyer, she is bound to regulations outlined by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO).

The LSO regulates all lawyers and paralegals in Ontario and has authority to investigate concerns involving professional misconduct, conflict of interest, conduct unbecoming and breaches of ethical rules.

The LSO specifically considers complaints involving:

• ethics and honesty
• breach of confidentiality
• misleading conduct
• harassment or inappropriate behaviour
• conduct unbecoming
• conflicts affecting professional duties

The LSO can also investigate conduct occurring outside the direct provision of legal services if that conduct affects public confidence in the profession.

The LSO website defines a conflict of interest as existing when: “there is a substantial risk that a lawyer or paralegal’s loyalty to or representation of a client would be materially and adversely affected by competing duties to another party”. 

The Law Society further defines a “personal-interest conflict” as a circumstance in which a lawyer’s own interests may compete with the duty of loyalty owed to the client.

Any member of the public may file a complaint with the Law Society of Ontario.

Complaints are filed through the Law Society’s secure online complaint portal. Residents are not charged for making complaints and according to the website, “If you have a concern about a lawyer or paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, we want to help.”

For residents considering a complaint against Strange under the City’s Code of Conduct, filing a complaint is not so barrier-free. In February, council raised the fee to file a conduct complaint to $1,000, by far the highest such fee in the province, despite repeated warnings from Ontario’s Ombudsman that there should be no fee or other barriers to accessing the integrity commissioner process. The Ombudsman has repeatedly denounced complaint fees as inconsistent with democratic accountability and public trust. Niagara Falls has repeatedly ignored the recommendations sent by the Ombudsman.

The Pointer reached out to Punyarthi, Strange, Mayor Jim Diodati and CAO Jason Burgess regarding conflict of interest concerns due to the relationship between Strange and Punyarthi.

Burgess provided the only response: “At this time I don’t have any comments on that subject matter.”  

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