John Ritchie

The applicant, a municipal councillor, brought an application for a declaration that he did not have a pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act regarding an appeal where his son acted as counsel for the appellant.

The applicant argued that his deemed pecuniary interest was so remote or insignificant that it fell under the exemption in s. 4(k) of the Act.

The court dismissed the application, finding that a reasonable elector would likely conclude that a father would be influenced by his son's direct involvement as counsel in the matter, and therefore the interest was not remote or insignificant.

The applicant, a municipal councillor, brought an application for a declaration that he did not have a pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act regarding an Ontario Municipal Board appeal in which his son's law firm represented the appellant.

The applicant named Her Majesty the Queen as the respondent, following previous case law, but the Crown declined to participate.

The court declined to decide the application on its merits, finding that the relevant municipalities should be given notice and an opportunity to participate to ensure an adversarial context and a complete review of the facts.