Human rights complaint by local councillor draws constitutional scrutiny
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre have filed responses on behalf of David Sharpe and Duncan Storey, two Grimsby, Ontario, residents named in a human rights complaint brought by sitting town councillor Jennifer Korstanje. The councillor alleges sex-based discrimination arising from posts on a local news, commentary, and satire Facebook page called the Grimsby Independent News (GIN).
The complaint, filed with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (Tribunal), seeks $75,000 in damages. Both Mr. Sharpe and Mr. Storey are former political adversaries of Ms. Korstanje and deny the accusations.
“A politically motivated stunt”
Mr. Sharpe, who was born and raised in Grimsby and works as an engineering technologist, said he has no involvement with the Facebook page in question. “This application is unfair and deeply upsetting. I’m a private citizen, no longer in politics, just living in Grimsby, working, and raising a family. I’ve done absolutely nothing discriminatory,” he said.
“This complaint feels like a politically motivated stunt by a municipal councillor against her former opponent,” he added.
Mr. Storey also grew up in Grimsby and is now raising his five-year-old daughter there. He works in the financial sector and volunteers his time promoting balanced urban development that preserves the small-town character of the community.
He said that several of the posts in question—including comments referring to Ms. Korstanje as a “witch” or a “harridan” (a bossy, quarrelsome woman)—were not written by him or anyone associated with the page, but by members of the public who commented on it. In any event, he said, such posts constitute legitimate political commentary and protected expression, not discrimination.
Broader concerns about free expression
Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir stated, “Ordinary citizens should not be targeted with baseless complaints that twist a system meant to protect real victims of discrimination.”
“The Human Rights Code does not regulate the provision of news. A sitting member of government is attempting to punish members of the public for perceived criticism,” he added.
The case raises broader concerns about the use of human rights complaints by public officials to suppress criticism from ordinary citizens.
The respondents will now wait for a reply from Ms. Korstanje through the Tribunal.