Two Grimsby residents are fighting back against a $75,000 human rights complaint filed by a town councillor who claims she was the target of sex-based discrimination over posts on a local Facebook page.The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) says it has filed responses on behalf of David Sharpe and Duncan Storey after Councillor Jennifer Korstanje launched a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. Korstanje alleges that posts on the Grimsby Independent News Facebook page discriminated against her on the basis of sex.Sharpe, a lifelong Grimsby resident and engineering technologist, called the complaint “unfair and deeply upsetting.” He said he has no connection to the Facebook page. .“I’m a private citizen, no longer in politics, just working and raising a family,” said Sharpe. “This feels like a politically motivated stunt by a municipal councillor against her former opponent.”Storey, who also grew up in Grimsby and works in the financial sector, said the posts cited in the complaint were made by members of the public, not by him or the page’s administrators. Some of those comments referred to Korstanje as a “witch” or “harridan,” but Storey said they fall under legitimate political commentary and are protected speech. “Public debate can be sharp, but that doesn’t make it discrimination,” he said..JCCF lawyer Hatim Kheir said the case highlights a troubling trend of politicians using human rights law to silence critics. “Ordinary citizens should not be dragged before a tribunal over baseless complaints that misuse a system meant to protect real victims of discrimination,” said Kheir. “The Human Rights Code does not regulate the provision of news or commentary. A sitting member of government should not be trying to punish the public for criticism.”The respondents are now waiting for Korstanje’s reply through the tribunal process.
