Superior Court dismisses suit from Sudbury councillor against the city

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed a suit from a Sudbury metropolis councillor against the city.

Last twelvemonth Coun. Bill Leduc was seeking $450,000 successful damages from the metropolis implicit the instauration of a committee tasked to look into alleged concern contraventions from his predetermination run successful 2022.

Leduc has denied immoderate wrongdoing and said the allegations against him were motivated by governmental considerations arsenic opposed to predetermination integrity concerns.

In his suit, Leduc besides requested an injunction against Sudbury nonmigratory Anastasia Rioux.

Rioux brought the allegation of predetermination run concern misconduct to the Election Compliance Audit Committee successful 2023.

It was the committee that enactment guardant a question to the tribunal to disregard Leduc's suit. It was granted connected Friday.

Submissions are owed successful September connected the contented of ineligible costs related to the suit.

In a statement, Christopher Duncanson-Hales, who ran against Leduc successful 2022, said helium was relieved that the committee should beryllium capable to proceed its work, investigating the run concern misconduct allegations against Leduc.

"With this distraction present removed, I americium hopeful the absorption tin instrumentality to the findings of the autarkic KPMG audit," Duncanson-Hales said.

The KPMG audit, published successful May 2024, noted respective instances wherever Leduc was alleged to person contravened the Municipal Elections Act.

In 1 example, auditors recovered that Leduc received a $500 cheque from Norm Bouffard, which would person been $475 much than the permitted currency publication bounds for a municipal campaign.

The audit besides outlined expenses Leduc incurred during a Grandparents Day lawsuit that occurred during the 2022 predetermination campaign.

Rioux, the Sudbury nonmigratory against whom Leduc was seeking an injunction, said the hundreds of dollars helium spent astatine that lawsuit amounted to campaigning, but Leduc has argued otherwise.

If recovered guilty, Leduc could beryllium forced to forfeit his spot connected assembly and would not beryllium eligible to beryllium elected oregon appointed to immoderate municipal bureau until aft the adjacent regular election.