Langley mayor, councillors contest disqualification petition

Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward and councillors Tim Baillie and Rob Rindt have filed a response to a B.C. Supreme Court petition seeking to disqualify them from public office. The petition, brought July 9 by 10 local voters, alleges breaches of B.C.’s Community Charter.

The politicians and the Township say no rules were broken. Their filing argues the petition is inadmissible because it was launched outside the 45-day period allowed for a disqualification application.

The dispute concerns funding for a separate defamation lawsuit over anonymous videos and a blog post that suggested wrongdoing in Township fire-truck procurement. The petition alleges municipal funds were used for a personal lawsuit. The response says council voted in a closed Sept. 23 meeting to consider legal action, initially believing the Township would bring it.

Woodward, Rindt and Baillie initially volunteered as plaintiffs, according to the response, though Rindt and Baillie later withdrew. The filing says Woodward assumed responsibility for the ongoing legal costs and reimbursed the Township, with interest, for money spent on the case.

The response also says there was no financial benefit, or pecuniary interest, to support a conflict-of-interest finding. None of the allegations in the petition or response has been tested in court, and no hearing or trial date has been listed.