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

A judge has quashed a communications bylaw in the Township of Frontenac Islands, Ont., after ruling it unlawfully restricted the mayor’s ability to speak on behalf of the municipality.

In a decision released last week obtained by Global News, Justice Alexandre Kaufman found the bylaw “substantially impairs” Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers’ role by requiring her to route media requests and public communications through the township’s chief administrative officer.

The court ruled the policy went beyond promoting consistent municipal communications and improperly limited the mayor’s ability to represent the township.

“I was very pleased, and it’s unfortunate that it had to come to this,” Greenwood-Speers said in an interview with Global News.

“There is a role for the mayor, and that is to be the voice for the community, both provincially, internationally, federally and locally.”

The communications bylaw was passed by council in October 2024 in a recorded 4-1 vote, with Greenwood-Speers casting the lone vote against it.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.

The legal challenge stemmed from a letter the mayor sent to Ontario Premier Doug Ford in December 2024 outlining residents’ concerns about unreliable ferry service to Wolfe Island.

A complaint was later filed with the township’s integrity commissioner, who concluded Greenwood-Speers had violated the communications policy by contacting the province without following the bylaw’s requirements.

In his decision, Kaufman found the bylaw treated the mayor differently from councillors by requiring all of her media inquiries and public notices to go through the CAO.

“By contrast, Council members may respond to media inquiries on their own behalf as elected officials,” the decision read.

The judge concluded council could not use a communications policy to remove or substantially impair responsibilities assigned to the mayor under Ontario’s Municipal Act.

Greenwood-Speers called the decision a victory.

“Democracy is like a garden. You can’t just put the seeds in and then ignore it and expect to have something good,” she said. “You can’t vote and then just ignore the politicians and expect to have good government. You need to watch.”

She said she intends to seek an accounting of the municipality’s legal costs, arguing taxpayers should not have been forced to pay for the dispute.

“The court fees that they awarded me are probably one-tenth of what it cost the municipality,” she said. “This is taxpayer dollars that should not have had to be spent.”

The ruling also ordered the township to pay Greenwood-Speers $3,000 in costs

Greenwood-Speers said she has not heard from council or municipal staff since the decision was released.

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

The mayor, who is seeking re-election, said she hopes the township can move forward while continuing to advocate for improved ferry service, an issue she says remains critical to residents and the local economy.