WINNIPEG – Mayor Sam Katz is suing the University of Winnipeg, the publisher of the Uniter student newspaper and a writer over an article Katz says is defamatory.
The Dec. 4 article “The local political blunder,” which volunteer writer Josh Benoit wrote about the city’s fire hall replacement program, is either reckless or deliberately intended to harm to the mayor, the lawsuit claims.
The words in the article “clearly state that the plaintiff is a criminal, has committed criminal acts pertaining to insider trading, belongs in jail and is evil,” Katz’s lawyer says in a statement of claim filed in Winnipeg court January 28, 2014.
“These untrue and defamatory statements were made deliberately and with malicious intent, or alternatively, were reckless in said regard.”
The article refers to Katz, former Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl and Shindico, the firm that built four fire halls for the city in a deal that included a land trade that was never approved by city council. As a result, one of Winnipeg’s new fire-paramedic stations now stands on land owned by Shindico.
Katz says the allegation is false and he’s claiming unspecified damages.
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