Former Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld is seeking financial support from SOGI 123 opponents as he heads to court in Chilliwack this week.
Neufeld is the subject of a defamation lawsuit after referring to school trustee Carin Bondar as 鈥渁 striptease artist,鈥� while she was running for school board election.
The request for monetary help from Neufeld went out in early November as he prepared for the court case to be heard in Chilliwack Supreme Court starting on Nov. 14.
鈥淪he is suing me for defamation because of a remark I made on an Action4Canada broadcast,鈥� Neufeld said, referring to the comment made about Bondar, as he talked about the various candidates vying for election to the Chilliwack school board.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even mention her by name,鈥� Neufeld said. 鈥淢any of you have been sacrificially generous to me. But I need to ask again for more financial help. Using the courts to fight for the protection of our children is expensive!鈥�
The former trustee framed the situation as being: 鈥渋mportant that I win this case and try to obtain damages.鈥�
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Bondar put out a brief statement before the case begins:
鈥淚 welcome this issue having its day in court. My legal team and I have prepared our case with ample supporting evidence. Although it continues to take an emotional toll, it remains critically important for women in politics to stand up against smear campaigns dedicated to decreasing our desire to serve.
鈥淭he only way forward is through,鈥� Bondar added.
The trustee first spoke about the issue in October 2022 to state she felt compelled to sue the former trustee for his dismissive remarks.
鈥淐reating lies about one鈥檚 political opponents and using them to gain power in an election are both categorically illegal,鈥� Bondar said at the time. 鈥淏arry Neufeld has done both, and I find myself in a position with only one possible move to make.鈥�
The remark in question made by Neufeld was about an educational video Bondar made on the topics of evolution and natural selection in 2014, which was a parody of the Miley Cyrus鈥� Wrecking Ball video.
鈥淚 am not a striptease artist, nor have I ever been one,鈥� Bondar said, adding she was a full-time instructor in the biology department at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her lawyer fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Neufeld, suggesting his remark was a deliberate attempt to damage Bondar鈥檚 reputation and hurt her chances of winning the election.
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