In separate B.C. Supreme Court court defence filings, a Quesnel city councillor and a First Nations lobby group have each denied that they defamed the wife of Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull.
Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenberg and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) maintain they rightfully offered opinions about Pat Morton乌鸦传媒檚 promotion of a book skeptical of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission乌鸦传媒檚 2015 report and the 2021 claim that remains of 215 children had been buried near at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The Tk乌鸦传媒檈mlups te Secwepemc band乌鸦传媒檚 ground-penetrating radar expert clarified her findings, to say that equipment detected 200 乌鸦传媒渁nomalies.乌鸦传媒� The site has not been excavated.
Morton乌鸦传媒檚 May lawsuits against Roodenburg and UBCIC accused them of harming her reputation, causing her physical and mental distress and exposing her to danger. In 2024, Morton purchased 11 copies of Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth About Residential Schools) and provided them to the school district library, a local MLA and mother of Coun. Tony Goulet, who is Metis.
Roodenburg乌鸦传媒檚 May 30 response said she made the statements about Morton at a city council meeting without malice and in the public interest, based on fact. She pleads qualified privilege, as an elected official.
Roodenburg乌鸦传媒檚 defence statement, filed by North Vancouver defamation lawyer Roger McConchie, said the format of Morton乌鸦传媒檚 notice of civil claim does not comply with court rules. On June 23, Roodenburg informed the court that she replaced McConchie with Vancouver lawyer David McKnight.
UBCIC filed its response on June 6, explaining it sent a letter on April 2, 2024 to City of Quesnel after a member of the Nazko First Nation sought support. UBCIC said it published the letter in good faith and without malice, and that it 乌鸦传媒渄oes not characterize the plaintiff as a 乌鸦传媒榩romoter of residential school denialism乌鸦传媒�.乌鸦传媒� UBCIC pleads justification, fair comment, responsible communication and qualified privilege.
乌鸦传媒淯BCIC has been vocal in challenging residential school denialism and what it views as the book's dissemination of misinformation harmful to residential school survivors and their families, the goals of reconciliation, and the specific calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,乌鸦传媒� said the filing by Vancouver lawyers Allan Doolittle and Natasha John.
On June 11, Morton replied, stating UBCIC acted with 乌鸦传媒渞eckless disregard for the truth and that the statements made were done with malice or gross negligence.乌鸦传媒� As for Roodenburg, Morton said 乌鸦传媒渉er statements were false, defamatory and delivered in a hostile and accusatory tone.乌鸦传媒�
Morton is seeking damages, costs, a declaration that Roodenburg breached City of Quesnel乌鸦传媒檚 code of conduct and an order for Roodenburg to issue a formal public apology.
In March, a BC Supreme Court judge quashed three resolutions to censure and sanction Paull.
Paull successfully claimed that Quesnel city council乌鸦传媒檚 April 30, 2024 decisions against him were made without procedural fairness. Councillors voted to withdraw Paull乌鸦传媒檚 travel budget and remove him from city committees and the Cariboo Regional District board after Morton shared the book.
