NDP MLA files lawsuit against Lethbridge Police Service
The Lethbridge Police Service is being sued by an NDP MLA over claims that her Charter rights were violated.
Shannon Phillips, the representative for Lethbridge-West, filed a lawsuit against the force, claiming she was the subject of several unwarranted searches between January and November 2018.
Phillips, who was the province's environment minister at the time, is seeking $400,000 in damages.
However, for the lawsuit to succeed, Phillips will need to produce evidence of wrongdoing.
"The onus will be on her to demonstrate that," said Doug King, justice expert with Calgary's Mount Royal University.
"That will be a fairly straightforward kind of process, with expert witness testimony in terms of did she encounter any legal costs related to it."
King says she will also need to provide proof of any mental health issues that came up because of the situation.
Last year, Phillips said she received documents as part of a Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy Act request where she learned six people, including five police officers and one civilian employee, searched for her personal records. She said there was no reason given for the investigations.
Lethbridge police were accused of monitoring Phillips before, when two officers tracked her actions in 2017.
The members were demoted following a disciplinary hearing, but that action was overturned by a review board.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.