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Michael Thompson claims he programs to continue on to serve on town council and is campaigning for re-election immediately after being billed with sexual assault final week.
Thompson, who represents Scarborough Centre, hadn’t spoken publicly because news of the allegations broke very last Thursday. But on Tuesday he announced he intends to stand in the Oct. 24 municipal election, when declining to answer queries about the circumstance from him.
“I continue on to operate as the local councillor right here, functioning with my constituents, doing work on their particular troubles and so on, and also just employing my energy and time doing work on my re-election marketing campaign,” mentioned Thompson in a transient cellular phone interview.
The veteran councillor mentioned he had been encouraged by his authorized staff not to remark on the prices even though the scenario is ahead of the courts.
“I believe that in the judicial system and the method,” he claimed.
He extra that he was out meeting with inhabitants Tuesday afternoon, and was “very joyful with respect to the powerful guidance I’m acquiring from my constituents.”
“I’ve invested 19 many years in this article, I have specified exemplary service” to group customers, he said. “I’ll go on to do the job on that.”
Thompson has employed Jennifer Brevorka, a partner at substantial-powered litigator Marie Henein’s firm of Henein Hutchison LLP to signify him in the scenario. In an email Brevorka verified Thompson is her shopper, but did not respond to issues about the rates.
The allegations have not been analyzed in court docket.
Final 7 days, a law firm who was representing Thompson but has due to the fact stepped absent from the circumstance explained the councillor was “asserting his innocence” and intended to plead not guilty.
The Ontario Provincial Law enforcement arrested Thompson on Sept. 29 and billed him with two counts of sexual assault. Information submitted in court docket ahead of his initial physical appearance identifies two alleged victims by their initials only.
The assaults are alleged to have happened separately on July 3 and July 4 in the Township of Muskoka Lakes — the Sunday and Monday of the Canada Working day weekend.
He is scheduled to surface in a Bracebridge courtroom on Nov. 1.
Thompson was 1st elected to council in 2003, and for the earlier two terms has been a close ally of Mayor John Tory. He gained the Scarborough Centre seat in final election in a landslide with 69 for each cent of the vote, and is functioning for his sixth consecutive phrase this month.
In accordance to city of Toronto staff members there are no rules that protect against a applicant who has been criminally billed from running for council, or serving if they’re elected.
Industry experts in municipal regulation instructed the Star that even currently being criminally convicted doesn’t disqualify a man or woman from getting a council member, and only a jail phrase would render anyone ineligible.
Several hours soon after information of the costs broke past 7 days, Tory stated in a statement that Thompson experienced agreed to resign as chair of council’s economic and group improvement committee and give up his position as 1 of Tory’s ceremonial deputy mayors.
On Friday, Thompson resigned from Centennial College’s board of governors.
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