Richmond Hill councillor Karen Cilevitz demands apology, retraction

Thornhill musician says councillor harassed vulnerable people

Yorkregion.com
June 19, 2018
Kim Zarzour

Lawyers for Richmond Hill councillor Karen Cilevitz are demanding an apology from a Thornhill musician over “serious libel” comments he made about her on social media.

The action follows a dispute over the naming of a music event that spiralled into a standoff at council June 12 and York Regional Police being called.

The dispute began in January when the Ward 5 councillor attempted to stop Thornhill musician Matt Bergman and Richmond Hill resident Steffi Goodfield from calling their open mic events "The Ward 5 Jam."

Cilevitz said she attempted several times to ask Goodfield, owner of York Region Open Mic, not to use the term Ward 5, which describes a municipal boundary in the southwest part of town.

Cilevitz said she considered Goodfield a friend for many years and had helped organize and host a $30,000 fundraiser, Songs 4 Steffi, in 2017 to help her battle cancer.

But she was concerned her ward was being associated, through York Region Open Mic, with Bergman, who she said had subjected her and her partner, Derek Christie, to “abusive verbal behaviour” on Facebook.

Cilevitz said she asked Goodfield and Bergman multiple times to change the name or to discuss the issue, but her messages were ignored.

In late January, in frustration, she left a voice mail -- which she said she now regrets -- telling Goodfield that only elected councillors use the term “ward” for public events.

“Be advised, Steffi, if you or Matt Bergman in any way calls your Sunday night jam a Ward 5 event, there will be serious problems that you’re both going to have to deal with legally,” she said.

Within days, Bergman removed the term Ward 5 from his Facebook page for the Sunday Jam, and added a disclaimer saying the event was not supported/sponsored by the town or councillors, and Cilevitz thought the matter was done with -- until it resurfaced in March.

 

Ward 5 reappeared in ramped-up fashion. Cilevitz said Bergman’s band renamed to include the term Ward 5, buttons with Ward 5 appeared, chanting of Ward 5 at open mic events took place, and there was a song by Bergman with no words, but “Ward 5” was shouted repeatedly.

Bergman would not say why he changed the name to include Ward 5. Nor would he say why they did not respond to Cilevitz’s initial requests, or why it resurfaced after removal.

Instead, he sent an emailed statement to The Liberal saying Christie’s band has been losing business to the open mic nights and accusing Cilevitz of abusing her position, “harassing, bullying, and intimidating Steffi Goodfield, myself, and owners of various bars that host the events.

“Councillor Cilevitz sense of entitlement has fuelled similar inappropriateness and bullying of vulnerable residents.... Her demeanour and actions have been emboldened due to a lack of media scrutiny, especially because Mayor Dave Barrow refuses to hold her accountable.”

Goodfield declined to comment.

Cilevitz said she decided to let it go, concerned that continuing to fight the matter would further endanger Goodfield’s health.

On May 19, at her local park cleanup event, Cilevitz said she was “ambushed” by The Rebel Media. The reporter wanted to talk not just about the Ward 5 name issue, but also Ward 2 councillor Tom Muench and Christie, who is a Ward 2 resident and outspoken critic of Muench.

Rebel Media also appeared at the May 28 council meeting, the reporter shaking hands with Muench then filming while a delegation -- Niagara Falls resident Cyndi VanBrussel -- attempted to play the Cilevitz voice mail recording.

The playback was disallowed. Mayor Dave Barrow suggested an integrity or ombudsman complaint was more appropriate.

The voice mail recording then hit local radio stations, portraying Cilevitz as having bullied a person with Stage 4 cancer.

This was “patently untrue”, Cilevitz said. She publicly apologized to Goodfield May 31 on her social media sites and website.

But the issue continued to appear regularly on Bergman’s social media accounts, referring to “the barrage of harassment and threats they've received from Cilevitz over a made-up reason, and the coverup that Mayor Dave Barrow and other town employees have provided for her.”

On June 5, Muench attempted to raise the issue again at a council meeting, and again June 12 when Bergman and VanBrussel re-appeared before council, along with camera-toting Rebel Media.

VanBrussel and Bergman demanded a new investigation with a new integrity commissioner. The delegation devolved into a shouting match including the Rebel Media reporter.

York Regional Police were called and council temporarily adjourned.

“That shocking behaviour clearly illustrates why I did not want Ward 5 or myself associated with Matthew Bergman,” Cilevitz said.

She asked, through her lawyer Kevin MacDonald, for an “unqualified apology and retraction” by June 18, for the “false and defamatory” comments posted on Bergman’s Facebook page.

MacDonald said no response had been received by the deadline and the next step will likely be a defamation action if Cilevitz so chooses.

“Ms Cilevitz has suffered and will continue to suffer serious damage as a result of the libel, which is designed to interfere with her re-election campaign,” he said.