Ontario mayor’s lawsuit against her own municipality ends with a win - BERITAJA

A judge has quashed a communications bylaw successful the Township of Frontenac Islands, Ont., aft ruling it unlawfully restricted the mayor’s expertise to speak connected behalf of the municipality.

In a determination released past week obtained by BERITAJA, Justice Alexandre Kaufman recovered the bylaw “substantially impairs” Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers’ domiciled by requiring her to way media requests and nationalist communications done the township’s main administrative officer.

The tribunal ruled the argumentation went beyond promoting accordant municipal communications and improperly constricted the mayor’s expertise to correspond the township.

“I was very pleased, and it’s unfortunate that it had to travel to this,” Greenwood-Speers said successful an question and reply pinch BERITAJA.

“There is simply a domiciled for the mayor, and that is to beryllium the sound for the community, some provincially, internationally, federally and locally.”

The communications bylaw was passed by assembly successful October 2024 successful a recorded 4-1 vote, pinch Greenwood-Speers casting the lone ballot against it.

The ineligible situation stemmed from a missive the politician sent to Ontario Premier Doug Ford successful December 2024 outlining residents’ concerns about unreliable ferry work to Wolfe Island.

A title was later revenge pinch the township’s integrity commissioner, who concluded Greenwood-Speers had violated the communications argumentation by contacting the state without pursuing the bylaw’s requirements.

In his decision, Kaufman recovered the bylaw treated the politician otherwise from councillors by requiring each of her media inquiries and nationalist notices to spell done the CAO.

“By contrast, Council members whitethorn respond to media inquiries connected their ain behalf arsenic elected officials,” the determination read.

The judge concluded assembly could not usage a communications argumentation to region aliases substantially impair responsibilities assigned to the politician nether Ontario’s Municipal Act.

Greenwood-Speers called the determination a victory.

“Democracy is for illustration a garden. You can’t conscionable put the seeds successful and past disregard it and expect to person thing good,” she said. “You can’t ballot and past conscionable disregard the politicians and expect to person bully government. You request to watch.”

She said she intends to activity an accounting of the municipality’s ineligible costs, arguing taxpayers should not person been forced to salary for the dispute.

“The tribunal fees that they awarded maine are about apt one-tenth of what it costs the municipality,” she said. “This is payer dollars that should not person had to beryllium spent.”

The ruling besides ordered the township to salary Greenwood-Speers $3,000 successful costs

Greenwood-Speers said she has not heard from assembly aliases municipal unit since the determination was released.

“Not a word. Not from the CAO, not the lawyer, not the council,” she said. “What I person heard from immoderate residents is, ‘Well done, congratulations.'”

The mayor, who is seeking re-election, said she hopes the township could move guardant while continuing to advocator for improved ferry service, an rumor she says remains captious to residents and the section economy.