Brampton resident continues fight to oust councillor

bramptonguardian.com
March 1, 2016
By Peter Criscione

A Brampton resident who tried to get a downtown councillor barred from voting on a controversial light rail transit project last year is using a crowdfunding website to raise money to cover his legal fees and to continue his push to get that politician ousted from office.

A fundraising page has been set up at fundrazr.com on behalf of Peter Bailey, who is on the hook for $16,000 in legal costs for a failed injunction against regional councillor Martin Medeiros.

As of Tuesday morning (March 1), $190 had been raised out of the $75,000 target Bailey hopes to hit by April 30.

The website states Bailey has “started a court action to have Medeiros removed from office” but the process is “stalled until Peter can raise the money to pay the legal costs.”

Bailey, a vocal critic of a $1.6-billion LRT proposal voted down by Brampton council last October, was ordered to reimburse Medeiros for costs incurred defending against allegations that the rookie councillor lied on his election nomination papers in 2014.

Bailey said he filed the injunction on the eve of the crucial transit vote in the interest of the public good and claimed that allowing Medeiros to participate in the special HMLRT meeting would have been detrimental to residents.

Justice Peter Daley disagreed and tossed out the injunction.

Bailey alleges Medeiros misled voters in 2014 by claiming to be a Brampton resident at the time of filing his nomination when in fact he resided in Mississauga in contravention of election laws.

Under the Municipal Act, a candidate must live or own property in the municipality they intend to contest a political seat.

Medeiros acknowledged that he lived in Mississauga with his wife and family in 2014, but had initiated a move to Brampton when he decided to run for a seat on council.

He registered as a candidate on Aug. 20, 2014 and filed his parent's address as his primary residence.

The councillor’s affidavit states that he resided with his parents from May 2014 until May 2015, at which time he moved into another home he purchased in Brampton.

Medeiros has been on the firing line since taking up the seat vacated by mayoral hopeful John Sanderson last year.

Bailey supported Sanderson's failed bid for Peel regional chair in 2014.