Sault MPP’s wife, who confronted her husband about workplace romance, was accused months later of assaulting Scott and ‘harassing and intimidating’ his staff member
Sault MPP Chris Scott was caught having a romantic relationship with a staff member just days before he allegedly assaulted his wife with a high chair, sources say — an accusation that raises new questions about his conduct in office and his future in politics.
Multiple sources tell SooToday the workplace romance began shortly after Scott, a former Doug Ford adviser handpicked by the premier to be the local Progressive Conservative candidate, won a narrow victory in the Feb. 27, 2025 Ontario election.
The pair’s relationship continued throughout that summer, sources say, while the rookie MPP served as Parliamentary Assistant to Stephen Lecce, the Minister of Energy and Mines.
By mid-September 2025, Scott’s wife, Coline van Scott, had grown suspicious enough to confront him — driving six hours to South Bend, Indiana, where her husband was attending a two-day conference with provincial and state legislators from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region.
When she arrived, sources say, she found Scott’s staff member in his hotel room.
While Scott would not answer specific questions about his alleged workplace relationship, including what happened when his wife showed up in Indiana, he told SooToday in an emailed statement that “contested allegations contained in untested court documents from an unreliable source or party should not be presented as established facts.”
On Sept. 19, three days after the conference wrapped up, the alleged assault took place inside the couple’s now-former home in Sault Ste. Marie. Scott was arrested on Sept. 21 and charged with assault and assault with a weapon (the weapon being a “highchair,” according to a sworn statement signed by a police constable).
Promptly ejected from Ford’s PC caucus, Scott has spent the past 10 months as an Independent MPP while his criminal charges — which he “100 per cent” denies — inch through the system. None of the allegations have been tested in court, and Scott is presumed innocent until proven guilty. His next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
Despite repeated calls to resign, the 36-year-old has insisted he won’t step down. In April, he went so far as to express optimism that the assault charges would soon “be behind us” and he’d be welcomed back to Ford’s PC caucus — a “return to a sense of normal,” he said.
But little about Scott’s time in office has been normal, and the allegation he was having a secret workplace romance in the months leading up to his arrest sheds more light on why the people of Sault Ste. Marie abruptly lost what they voted for: an MPP in the Ford government. What Scott tried very hard to keep private, sources say, ended up having huge public consequences for the constituents he was elected to serve.
Days before he was criminally charged with assaulting his wife, Sault MPP Chris Scott attended a conference in South Bend, Indiana. Source: Chris Scott’s Facebook page
Although there are no rules that specifically forbid an Ontario MPP from having a consensual relationship with a staff member, experts say such behaviour raises ethical and legal questions that go beyond the political fallout. More than anything, office relationships are discouraged because they can create a power imbalance, leaving a subordinate feeling pressured to acquiesce to the boss.
Scott’s alleged workplace conduct could also expose him to questions about preferential treatment, nepotism, and how he spends public dollars. SooToday has confirmed that more than a year later, the woman is still a member of Scott’s legislative staff — collecting a taxpayer-funded salary.
SooToday has also confirmed there was another alleged altercation between Scott and his wife, months after Scott’s arrest.
Court records show that in February 2026, five months after Scott was kicked out of Ford’s caucus, Coline van Scott was charged with assaulting him at a Toronto address. She was arrested on Valentine’s Day and charged with a single count of assault against her estranged husband.
Court records further reveal that the MPP’s staff member claimed van Scott was “harassing and intimidating” her on the same date she was arrested, Feb. 14. A month later, on March 17, the woman went to court to request a Section 810 peace bond, arguing she had reasonable grounds to fear Scott’s wife would “cause personal injury” or damage to her property.
A justice of the peace agreed to sign the bond order, requiring van Scott to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour” for up to 12 months.
The assault charge against van Scott has not been tested in court, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Her next hearing is scheduled for July 31 in Toronto.
Contacted by SooToday, van Scott declined to comment.
She has since filed for divorce, seeking full custody of the couple’s three young children. On June 16, a family court judge issued a temporary order that requires the Sault MPP to pay $2,985 per month in child support and $1,200 in monthly spousal support.
The court order lists Scott’s annual salary at $163,275.
Independent MPP Chris Scott is scrummed by reporters at Queen’s Park Oct. 21, 2025, the first day he returned to the Ontario Legislature after being charged in a domestic violence incident. Steve Cornwell/The Trillium
SooToday emailed Scott a list of questions about his alleged office romance, including whether he disclosed such a relationship to anyone in the Progressive Conservative party, or to the Office of the Integrity Commissioner. We also asked whether he thinks it is appropriate for an MPP to have an intimate relationship with a staff member whose salary is funded by taxpayers.
In an emailed response, Scott said “following the advice of my lawyers, I can’t speak on a number of these questions right now.” Specifically, he did not confirm or deny that he had an intimate relationship with a staff member.
“My personal relationships have never violated the integrity rules,” Scott wrote, adding: “Certain family and court matters that you’re referring to and asking about remain before legal processes, and I will not compromise those proceedings, or the privacy of my children by litigating them through the media at this time.”
He also said he sympathizes with the frustration of Sault residents who are upset by what’s transpired since the election.
“I can understand why constituents are angry that the riding no longer has a member sitting in the government caucus,” Scott wrote. “I regret this disruption more than anyone else. My removal exclusively followed allegations that I deny and that remain before the courts. Because those matters are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further on their substance.”
Asked about his current living arrangements, Scott said he leases a residence in the Sault “that I pay for out of my own pocket.” Like all MPPs whose riding is more than 50 kilometres from Queen’s Park, he also has a residence in Toronto funded by tax dollars, via the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
“Until this matter is resolved, my responsibility is to continue doing the job residents elected me to do,” he said. “My office continues serving constituents every day, and I remain focused on advocating for the community’s priorities…. As I’m sure you know, whether I am in Sault Ste. Marie or at Queen’s Park, my work on behalf of the riding continues.”
Scott’s staff member did not respond to a request for comment sent to her work email address. At this time, SooToday is not publishing the woman’s name.
A former staffer in Premier Doug Ford’s office, Chris Scott was handpicked by Ford to be the Sault’s PC candidate in the 2025 Ontario election. Source: Chris Scott Facebook page
Scott is hardly the first politician to come under scrutiny for an alleged workplace romance. In 2016, Liberal MP Hunter Tootoo resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after confessing to a “consensual but inappropriate relationship” with a female staff member. More recently, Toronto Mayor John Tory abruptly stepped down after admitting to a “serious error in judgment”: an intimate relationship with a much younger staffer.
On paper, however, there are no laws that prohibit consensual relationships between a Canadian politician and a staff member. Unlike in most workplaces, where a manager-subordinate romance must be disclosed to human resources, the political arena is a lot more grey.
“There are no consistent rules,” said Robert Shepherd, a public policy professor at Carleton University who specializes in government ethics. “It is a question of morality, and as you know, morality rules tend to be very problematic.”
Every Ontario MPP is bound by the Members’ Integrity Act, which sets strict disclosure rules aimed at avoiding conflicts of interest and other ethical pitfalls — such as politicians using their public office to financially benefit themselves, family or friends. Although the law makes no mention of workplace relationships, it does make clear that MPPs should “arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of each member.”
Shepherd said “at the very least,” an MPP should disclose an office romance to the provincial integrity commissioner. Section 28 of the Act specifically allows an MPP to request a confidential opinion from the commissioner.
“I would say: ‘Don’t get in the relationship in the first place,’” Shepherd said. “But if you’re going to proceed, then a very concerted discussion would have to be had about that person’s continued employment with the office. Any integrity commissioner would probably give that advice: that one or the other has to go from the office. And it’s not really the elected official that can go.”
Scott would not tell SooToday whether he disclosed a workplace relationship to the integrity commissioner. Juliet Kadzviti, a spokeswoman for the commissioner’s office, said “due to the confidentiality provisions of the Act, the Office does not release information about these opinions, nor does it confirm whether they have been sought.”
Ian Stedman is a professor of law and governance at York University who previously worked for the provincial integrity commissioner. He said in cases like this, the optics are just as important as the law — if not more important.
“This is not just a job,” he said. “It is a calling. It’s about service to the community.”
Stedman said voters “have a right to know” the truth because Scott’s private behaviour may have played a role in why the Sault suddenly lost its Ford government MPP. It also raises bigger questions about his judgment and moral compass, he said.
Sault MPP Chris Scott attended the Soo Greyhounds’ opening night block party on Sept. 19, 2025, the same day he is accused of assaulting his spouse. Source: Chris Scott’s Facebook page
Raised in Kemptville, Ont., 50 kilometres south of Ottawa, Scott cut his political teeth working for ex-Sault MPP Ross Romano. He later joined Ford’s office as a special adviser to the premier’s chief of staff — a position he held from April 2023 until January 2025, when Ford tapped him to run as the Sault’s provincial candidate.
Despite his links to Romano, Scott was a relative unknown when the local election campaign kicked off. But he pushed back hard against what he called “lazy” attempts to label him a “parachute” candidate, citing his years of behind-the-scenes work for Sault constituents.
Locked in a tight race against the NDP’s Lisa Vezeau-Allen, Scott’s pitch to local voters was consistent: Ford is on the brink of winning another majority election, and the best choice for the Sault is an MPP from the winning side. Ford himself gave his former adviser a resounding endorsement during a campaign stop at Algoma Steel: “He’s a worker, this guy. He’s gonna work his back off and represent the people of the Sault.”
Romano, who acted as Scott’s campaign manager, described him as an “exceptional father” and “incredible husband.” During a SooToday video interview, Scott went so far as to promise that even if he lost the election, he and his wife planned to stay and raise their kids in Sault Ste. Marie.
In another campaign interview, Scott shared the story of how he legally changed his surname to “van Scott” as a tribute to his wife, who immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands as a teenager. “We made a commitment together to honour her past and what we’re building together,” he said.
The MPP’s full legal name is Christopher Allen Winfield van Scott, as listed on his charge sheet. But he still refers to himself as Chris Scott, the name that was featured on his blue-and-white campaign signs.
Scott ended up winning the tightest Sault election race in more than a century, collecting 13,071 votes — only 114 more than Vezeau-Allen (12,957). At the victory party, Coline van Scott and the couple’s three children joined him on stage as he thanked volunteers, voters and “my wife and my in-laws for covering the bedtime stories and the bathtime routines for the last month.”
Seven months after that speech, Scott spent a night behind bars in Toronto. He had driven to the city the day after the alleged assault and was arrested by Toronto police at the request of Sault investigators.
The news broke the next morning, Sept. 22, when the premier’s office released a terse one-sentence statement: “MPP Chris Scott is no longer a member of the PC caucus.”
In the months since, Scott’s social media feeds have become a collection of rare and random photo-ops — including him serving customers at a McDonald’s drive-thru, grinning over an Aurora’s panzerotti (or a Burger Don special) and having an “insightful meeting” with a local landlord. The email listed on Scott’s Facebook page is still his former PC address, which hasn’t been active for months.
Sault MPP Chris Scott serves a customer at a Sault Ste. Marie McDonald’s drive-thru on McHappy Day, May 6, 2026. Source: Chris Scott’s Facebook page
Scott’s Facebook page did feature multiple posts on May 22, the day Ford travelled to the Sault for a major funding announcement at Tenaris. Though now a party outcast, Scott made sure to cheer his old boss from the virtual sidelines: “Thank you Premier Ford for standing shoulder to shoulder with our steel sector.”
At the press conference that day, a reporter asked Ford to weigh in on Scott’s recent remarks about possibly rejoining the PC caucus if his charges are dropped.
“I have no comment on that,” Ford replied. “Let’s see what happens.”
— with files from Brandon Walker, Kenneth Armstrong, James Hopkin, Greg McGrath-Goudie and David Helwig