Sunday, February 16th, 2025

Mulmur Township Deputy Mayor Rhonda Campbell Moon has filed a second lawsuit against three of her fellow elected representatives and the municipality as a whole, according to a statement of claim filed at the Orangeville court office in January and received by Mulmur clerk Terry Horner on June 19.

The lawsuit, which names Mayor Paul Mills, Councillors Earl Hawkins and Heather Hayes and the Township of Mulmur, claims that in or about late 2010 or early 2011, the defendants, using Township property, services and funds, caused a private investigation to be conducted into Campbell Moon’s personal and public affairs. As a result of the investigation, the lawsuit claims, the defendants procured private and confidential information about the Deputy Mayor.

Campbell Moon’s position is that the alleged investigation violated the Township of Mulmur Code of Conduct for Members of Council, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, she is seeking $100,000 in damages for the tort of intrusion upon seclusion or invasion of privacy and $25,000 in punitive damages.

This is the second lawsuit filed on behalf of Campbell Moon against Mills, Hawkins, Hayes and the Township of Mulmur. In July 2011 she sued them for slander and libel, after comments were made during a May Council meeting and a subsequent news release was issued. During the meeting, she was removed from all boards and committees and Council also declared that Campbell Moon would no longer represent the Township at community events. That lawsuit asked for an apology and a retraction of the news release, neither of which have been forthcoming.

During the public question period portion of this week’s Mulmur Council meeting, Conserving Our Rural Environment (CORE) representative Cheryl Russel asked about the status of the first lawsuit, the specifics of the second and the estimated cost for the Township to defend itself against both.

The first lawsuit, said Mayor Paul Mills, is still in the hands of the Township’s lawyer. Neither Mills or Campbell Moon would speak to the specifics of the second lawsuit. As for cost, Mills said the Township would have to pay a $5,000 deductible to its insurance company for each defence.

Mulmur, Council at odds on garbage

Mulmur Council’s resolution of June 5, requesting that the municipality be removed from Dufferin County’s waste disposal program, was not tabled at last month’s County Council meeting. Instead, Mayor Mills told Council on Wednesday that he had been informed of the process that must be followed in such situations – both Mulmur Township and Dufferin County need to pass bylaws in order for Mulmur to be let out of the program.

Despite Mills expressing his opinion that Dufferin County would never pass such a bylaw, Mulmur Council reached a consensus Wednesday to pursue the situation. Staff will now consult the Township lawyer to determine what should be drafted in a Mulmur bylaw. “I want out at damn near any cost, and I want that put on record,” said Councillor Earl Hawkins during the debate.

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