Toronto councilor resigns from FIFA committee following sexual assault trial – Toronto
Toronto County in trouble. Michael Thompson has quietly given up his nomination to a high-level committee overseeing city operations. FIFA World Cup hosting tasks.
The decision comes amid a trial in the Ontario Court of Justice in which Thompson is fighting two counts of sexual assault following a cottage vacation in Muskoka over the Canada Day weekend in 2022.
Thompson has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty, but the trial looms over the Scarborough Center councilor, who remains actively involved in town affairs.
Thompson’s communications manager, Royson James, confirmed the resignation to Global News. In an emailed statement, he said the councilor informed Mayor Olivia Chow of his decision by telephone last Wednesday.
“Councillor Thompson is involved in legal proceedings and a trial that does not have a definitive end date. As such, he deemed it best to withdraw from this important committee in order to eliminate the possibility of media distractions that could undermine the effectiveness of the committee,” James said in an email.
James insisted that Chow did not and did not ask Thompson to step down from the committee. “She agreed to the counselor’s request, saying ‘If that’s what you want,'” James wrote.
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Asked to comment on the circumstances of the departure, Mayor Chow provided only a brief statement. “Michael Thompson informed me on November 16 that he was leaving the FIFA committee,” Chow said.
Chow told reporters earlier this month that she would not reconsider her appointment to the FIFA committee when details of the 2022 allegations were revealed at the start of her trial three weeks ago.
“He has extensive experience in this matter,” Chow said. “He is a counselor, he works as a counselor and is paid as a counselor, so he has the right to serve as a counselor.”
Chow said the outcome of his trial was up to the court.
Thompson’s decision to step aside came before his first plaintiff’s testimony earlier this week. His identity is protected by a publication ban.
On Monday, she told Bracebridge Magistrates’ Court how she met Thompson in the spring of 2022 and the two began a professional relationship, during which the city councilor gave her the impression they could work together on municipal affairs.
She told the court she and her friend arrived at the Port Carling cottage on the Sunday of the Canada Day long weekend after being invited by Thompson. Like the first witness who gave evidence, she said she was surprised by the lack of guests and was greeted by the Scarborough councilor and a young woman who appeared to be 21 years old.
“I thought there would be a small group of other adults there. I found it strange that there was only one vehicle in the driveway and there was a 21-year-old alone in a chalet with a politician,” she told the court .
The witness also told the court that after drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana with Thompson, he asked her if he could apply sunscreen to her while she sunbathed with two other women on the quay.
That’s when she claims Thompson applied sunscreen under her bikini and continued to rub her buttocks and thighs.
“He asked me to turn around, which I did, and then he also applied sunscreen to my breasts,” the witness said. “How did he get to your breasts?” ” asked Crown prosecutor Mareike Newhouse, before the witness responded: “He reached under my swimsuit. »
The witness recalled feeling numb while this was happening, noting that she was both drunk and drugged, but wanted to avoid making the situation awkward after driving three hours in the middle of a cottage countryside.
While the witness said that at one point Thompson asked if everything was okay and she responded that everything was okay, she told Newhouse in her mind that was not the case. “I think I didn’t feel like I had any other choice to handle the situation. So no,” she said.
A second complainant has yet to testify, but in presenting the case overview, Newhouse alleged Thompson forced himself on her while she was drunk and told her she did not consent .
The trial continues Friday in Bracebridge.
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