Michael Thompson to seek re-election despite sexual assault charges
Toronto city council candidate Michael Thompson told CP24 on Tuesday that he will focus his energy on his re-election campaign despite the sexual assault charges laid against him last week.
Thompson said that his legal team advised him not to speak on the matter, but added that he is “still the Councillor for Scarborough Centre.”
“I have been the Councillor for Scarborough Centre for 19 years. I’ve worked hard for this community and I will continue to do that,” he said.
Thompson was charged with two counts of sexual assault last week, stemming from an alleged incident at a private residence in Muskoka in July of this year.
The complaints were allegedly made by two women, according to Calvin Barry, Thompson’s former lawyer.
Barry stepped away from the case on Saturday, citing close personal ties with Thompson, which he said would prevent him from being objective enough to carry out his duties as a lawyer.
Before resigning, Barry told CTV News Toronto that Thompson plans to plead not guilty and will put up a “vigorous defence.”
Thompson has since hired Jennifer Brevorka, a partner at Henein Hutchison LLP, to represent him.
Thompson, 62, stepped down as one of John Tory’s deputy mayors and chair of Toronto's Economic and Community Development Committee last week.
"I take sexual assault allegations and charges against any individual very seriously," Tory said at the time.
"While the councillor is facing these charges, it would not be appropriate for him to continue serving as a deputy mayor or chair of a standing council committee. He has agreed and will be resigning those positions effective immediately."
Thompson has been involved in municipal politics for nearly three decades and has been a city councillor since 2003.
The charges against him have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.