The court date for hearing the case against the Municipality of Port Hope (MPH) regarding the Hope LLRW Fund has been delayed once again. Ian Angus and Dean Ross, who have brought the action (The Application) against MPH, have been advised by their legal counsel that a new date has not been established.
Why the delay:
- MPH’s 497 page submission in response to the Application was not received in time to allow time for the lawyers to be ready for June 15th
- Given the summer months, there are no court dates that will work for all parties
Background:
- Messrs Angus and Ross submitted the Application to the Court before the fall election
- The applicants reached a settlement with members of Council in December
- The legal documentation to support the settlement prepared by MPH did not reflect the agreement that had been reached
- The key sticking points were, and continue to be, recognition that the Trust is a Trust; and the amount owing back to Hope residents from MPH
- MPH prefers to consider the amounts a reserve under their ownership and direction
- When it became clear that MPH and its legal counsel were unwilling to recognize the Trust and the amounts owing, both parties agreed that the case would have to be settled by the Court
- Funds in excess of $550,000 have been removed from the Fund in March of this year while the case is before the courts!
What next:
- Cross-examinations will take place whereby both parties’ lawyers will assess all the documentation
- A Court date will be set for the hearing
What can you do:
- Please consider contributing financial support for the legal defense against MPH
- Cheques can be made payable to “Ian Angus in Trust” and mailed to P.O. Box 271 Port Hope,ON L1A 3W4 (funds received are for payment to PHFFT’s lawyers and processed through Ian’s Lawyer’s Trust account)
- Watch for further communications from PHFFT regarding the re-scheduled court date, and other developments regarding the fair distribution of tax-burden between the two wards.
Port Hopers for Fair Taxes will continue to support Mr Angus and Mr Ross in their pursuit of justice in this case through the courts.
Please consider contributing to the PHFFT legal fund to defend this case in the courts. The legal challenge is costly and your help would be appreciated! Ratepayers may contribute to Port Hopers for Fair Taxes legal costs to bring this Application to the Court. Cheques can be made payable to Ian Angus’ lawyer’s trust account “Ian Angus In Trust” and mailed to Box 271 Port Hope ON L1A 3W4”. A letter of acknowledgement will be mailed.
Submitted by Port Hopers for Fair Taxes