A Richmond Hill man who runs a website critical of the provincial police's conduct in Caledonia has responded to a $7.2-million lawsuit filed against him by 22 OPP officers who say they were defamed on his site with his own counter claim.
Gary McHale announced the launch of his own suit yesterday afternoon at a sparsely attended town hall meeting in Caledonia.
He told the crowd that he was suing several people including OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino, the Ontario Provincial Police Association, who financed the defamation suit against him, as well as Haldimand County and several senior staff members in Premier Dalton McGuinty's office.
McHale said his suit hinged on a leaked e-mail sent by Fantino to Haldimand council members on April 7.
In the e-mail, Fantino criticized a councillor's apparent support of McHale and threatened to pull officers when the OPP's contract with the county expires in September 2008 if more officers are hurt because of rallies organized by McHale.
"It is clear they are trying to silence our free speech and it's not going to work," said McHale yesterday.
McHale added that members of McGuinty's staff were also named in the countersuit because they were copied on the e-mail, which he described as a "conspiracy" to limit his charter-protected right to free speech.
He said Fantino's e-mail was "a smoking gun."
McHale has organized several rallies in support of residents in Caledonia living near the site of the former Douglas Creek Estates, occupied by natives since the winter of 2006.
He frequently criticizes provincial police officers, who have stopped him from hanging a Canadian flag near the site of "two-tier" policing in Caledonia.
The Ontario Provincial Police Association filed its lawsuit against McHale in mid-April despite his posting an apology online.
According to court documents, the suit alleged McHale defamed the officers by saying they had breached their oath of office, were guilty of misconduct, stood by and did nothing while people were attacked, violated the charter of rights, and performed their duties in a racist manner.
He also posted their photographs on his website.
Reached last night by telephone, Haldimand Mayor Marie Trainer said she had not yet heard about the suit.
"I'm surprised this happened," she said.
"But then again since they're suing him I guess it makes sense he's suing back."
One week today, a Haldimand council committee is scheduled to debate if it wants to renew its contract with the OPP or seek out a new force to police Caledonia.
Trainer has said starting a Haldimand-only municipal force would likely be too expensive, but she'd like to see whether nearby municipal forces from Brantford, Hamilton or Niagara might be interested in putting in a bid.
They could also look at bringing in the RCMP.
Haldimand's municipal police force disbanded in the late 1990s.
Trainer has said the OPP contract costs about $7 million a year.