Vaughan’s former mayor, Linda Jackson, whose term ran from 2006 to 2010, has been court-ordered to pay legal fees pertaining to an investigation into her campaign finances, despite the charges against her being thrown out.
“The total cost is about $113,000,” said City of Vaughan communications director Madeline Zito. Following the election campaign compliance audit, Jackson challenged the process the city had taken against her, Zito added. The court dismissed Jackson’s claims and ordered her to pay $78,000 for court costs immediately, leaving the ex-mayor to turn to the court of appeal, which also threw out her claims and ruled she pay an additional $35,000 in legal fees.
“It’s absolutely outrageous that the City of Vaughan would come after me at this point,” said Jackson. “It’s sour grapes … How much did the City of Vaughan spend on all the external legal advice that turned out to be wrong? A heck of a lot more than they’re forcing me to pay.”
Council has the power to turn around the court’s decision, but Jackson is skeptical. “You can lose everything to try and serve your community, and there’s something very wrong with that,” she added.