David Sharpe to Appeal Ontario Capital Markets Tribunal Decision Citing Regulatory Overreach, Charter Violations, and Abuse of Process
Mr. Sharpe, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, former Chair of the First Nations University of Canada and past CEO of Bridging Finance Inc., did not participate in nor was he present during the course of the hearing. He adopted this position in light of the summary dismissal of his motion to stay the proceedings which ignored the Tribunal's finding that OSC staff had unlawfully disclosed his compelled testimony causing irreversible harm to his career and reputation.
Brian Greenspan, counsel on behalf of Mr. Sharpe noted that "This appeal not only relates to Mr. Sharpe—it engages the right of every Canadian to be protected from abuse of state power. When a public agency violates the statute which governs its operation, admits the violation and yet no remedy or accountability is provided, fundamental fairness and confidence in the adjudicative process is jeopardized."
The appeal also raises issues of systemic discrimination including the failure of the OSC to investigate Mr. Sharpe's written complaint of racism. The focus of the appeal is whether "public bodies can break the law and then change the law after the fact to justify their actions. That is not how the rule of law should work in a democracy."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
38 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Judge revokes bail for former lawyer James Bowie at sentencing hearing
Article content She was 'vulnerable and desperate for guidance, for protection, and for someone to help me hold onto my future,' Aubin said Monday. Article content 'Mr. Bowie used his status, his experience and my desperation to try to turn me into something I never was: an object he could manipulate and abuse for his own gratification.' Article content She said Bowie's suggestion that she exchange sexual favours for legal services made her feel 'frozen in horror… I felt worthless, I felt dirty, I felt dehumanized.' Article content Bowie was ultimately acquitted of the extortion charge related to the sex-for-legal services allegations. The initial assault charge against Aubin was quickly withdrawn after she hired a new lawyer. Article content The fear and threats didn't end there, Aubin said Monday, but 'multiplied' when she learned he was trying to acquire a gun. Article content 'Mr. Bowie didn't just abuse his position, he weaponized it,' Aubin said. 'He didn't just break the rules, he preyed on the vulnerable — the very people the justice system is meant to protect.' Article content Article content After Aubin complained about his conduct to the Law Society of Ontario — resulting in an investigation and eventual suspension from practising law — Bowie 'spiralled into a campaign of threats and harassment,' according to the Crown. Article content He pressured his friend to obtain a gun and tracked her with GPS devices when the woman broke off contact. Article content 'What you did to me — harassing, manipulating, attempting to extort and coerce me into committing a crime to help you — isn't just morally bankrupt, it's reprehensible,' the woman said in court Monday. Article content 'To do that under the guise of friendship is a betrayal so vicious it's hard to fit into proper professional words.' Article content The woman said she suffered panic attacks and post-traumatic stress after Bowie 'invaded every corner of my privacy.' Article content Watson said Bowie's conduct demonstrated 'a deeply troubling pattern of predation of vulnerable women' and said 'that trust was used as a weapon.' Article content Article content Bowie spoke to the Ottawa Citizen after he was found guilty in March and denied he had ever threatened anyone and claimed there were 'a number of fabrications' in the testimony of both witnesses. Article content 'I never threatened to kill anyone, ever, or have anyone help having anyone killed on my behalf, nor would I ever do so,' Bowie said in the interview. Article content Both the Crown and defence said they struggled to find any similar cases in Canadian law to establish a precedent for an appropriate sentence. Article content Bowie launched his own legal practice in 2017 and 'undertook something of an educational campaign,' Granger said, by 'live-tweeting' the various court cases related to the 2022 convoy protests. He gained a large social media following during those contentious bail hearings, and Granger said he often encouraged his followers to donate to local charities.
Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Ferry fares in Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Atlantic Canada to be reduced as of Aug. 1
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday that fares for interprovincial ferries and bridge tolls in eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada will be cut by at least 50 per cent starting Aug. 1. Fulfilling a promise the Liberals made during the April election campaign, Carney said the ferry operating between Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Souris, P.E.I. will see fare cuts by half for passengers, vehicles and commercial traffic. Similar fare reductions will apply to all federally supported ferry services across Atlantic Canada. In addition, the federal government will reduce vehicle tolls on the Confederation Bridge — which links P.E.I. to New Brunswick — from more than $50 to $20. 'Canada's new government is on a mission to bring down costs and build one, strong Canadian economy,' the Prime Minister's Office said Monday in a press release. 'By cutting tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares on ferries in Atlantic Canada, Canadians and businesses will save millions of dollars. That means more travel and trade between provinces, a stronger, more united economy, and more prosperity and opportunity for Canadians.' The ferry service between Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Souris is operated by the Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien (CTMA). During peak summer season, a one-way ticket currently costs $59.10 for an adult, plus $110.15 for a car. The federal government owns ferry vessels and terminals and leases them to ferry operators, according to the press statement. Annually, more than 531,000 passengers, 200,000 passenger vehicles and nearly 20,000 commercial vehicles use federally owned ferry services in Atlantic Canada. In addition to Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Souris, ferries provide service between Wood Islands in P.E.I., Saint John, N.B., and Caribou and Digby, N.S.
National Observer
an hour ago
- National Observer
Diversify trade beyond the US, Harper urges Carney
Former prime minister Stephen Harper said Monday he's urging Ottawa to find new trading partners outside the United States. "I think it's fair to say I'm probably the most pro-American prime minister in Canadian history," Harper told Canadian and American legislators gathered for the annual Midwestern Legislative Conference meeting in Saskatoon. "We've got to get something short-term worked out with the Trump administration. But this really is a wake-up call for this country to truly diversify its trade export markets. "Just because we have that geographic proximity does not justify the degree of dependence that we have on a single market." Harper said he was approached by the government two weeks ago for advice on dealing with U.S. trade policy. The Canadian Press has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney's office whether it approached the former Conservative prime minister for advice but has not yet received a response. Harper told the conference that Canada should no longer rely on Washington for its security. "While the border is a shared responsibility, let's make sure we spend a lot more on defence so that we can be independently responsible for our own land, seas and skies, independent of the United States," he said. Harper said that anyone who had asked for his trade advice a year ago would have been urged to deepen economic and security ties with Canada's southern neighbour. "However, when the government did actually ask me a few weeks ago, my advice was the opposite," he said. Harper said that while Washington is using a failed economic policy of pursuing economic growth through tariffs, the U.S. still needs trading partners. "We just cannot be in a position in the future where we can be threatened in this way and not have that leverage," he said. "The current government does, you know, get it better than their predecessors." He said he hopes Americans recognize that they can't take their international allies and trading partners for granted. "I really do hope that a realization seeps into the United States," he told the crowd of American lawmakers. "Canadians are a combination of just angry and bewildered by what is happening here. And that is very real. And it is very deep and it is across the country, and it is across the political spectrum." Harper also said China is undermining global trade through its use of World Trade Organization mechanisms. He said the Pacific Rim trading bloc created through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership allows Canada to undertake trade with other countries that respect global rules. He also revealed that he told American officials during his time as prime minister that a military response would be needed to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. "I have been saying for 15 years at least that the single biggest threat of nuclear war was Iran ever getting a nuclear weapon," he said. "And I had told American administrations confidentially for years it was my conclusion (that) the only way to ever stop that would be military action." — With files from Jeremy Simes in Saskatoon.
