Alleging wrongdoing on the part of his lawyer, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc has filed a legal motion seeking costs associated with his lawsuit against the city and a private resident.
In an affidavit, Leduc alleges that lawyer Timothy Harmar’s conduct during the course of legal proceedings “resulted in costs being incurred without reasonable cause and has contributed to undue delay.”
Specifically, Leduc wrote, “multiple hearings were rescheduled due to his failure to attend court appearances he had confirmed he would attend, and due to his failure to file required materials in accordance with deadlines.”
Further, Leduc alleges a factum provided by Harmar “contained references to case law that was allegedly fictitious or non-existent.”
Although Leduc said he fired Harmar on June 7 after he learned that the lawyer was administratively suspended from the Law Society of Ontario, he hasn’t gotten his files, and has “been unable to reach Mr. Harmar despite leaving multiple phone messages and voicemails.”
A Law Society of Ontario spokesperson clarified this week that the Sault Ste. Marie-based lawyer is not presently suspended, and that any insight regarding past suspensions would need to be submitted in writing.
The legal case behind Leduc’s alleged legal difficulties is a $450,000 defamation suit Leduc filed against the Election Compliance Audit Committee and resident Anastasia Rioux, who submitted a complaint to the committee regarding Leduc’s alleged election campaign rule breaches.
In his statement of claim, Leduc wrote that Rioux defamed him and that the committee was biased against him and “engaged in unlawful conduct.”
The city’s lawyers contended that the lawsuit should be tossed, as it was “misconceived” and an “abuse of process.”
Rioux said Leduc’s lawsuit was an attempt to silence a critic by filing a "blatantly frivolous and vexatious” lawsuit.
Leduc’s defamation suit was ultimately dismissed thanks to “successful anti-SLAPP motions brought by the defendants,” an endorsement by Judge Patrick J. Boucher noted.
SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, and is defined in Rioux’s statement of defence as, “aimed at chilling public discourse generally by discouraging, intimidating, and silencing the defendant and those like her, from exercising their legal right to free speech and lawful public participation on matters of public interest.”
With Leduc’s lawsuit tossed, it’s unclear what will be done with legal fees, though Leduc is aiming to get Harmar to foot the bill.
Rioux estimates her legal expenses at approximately $35,000. A city spokesperson did not respond to Sudbury.com’s request for a legal fee total by the time of publication. This story will be updated in the event they share this information.
Update at 1:27 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2025: A city spokesperson responded to Sudbury.com's request for information to cite the city's legal fees as being approximately $50,000 to date.
Meanwhile, the Election Compliance Committee was unanimous last year in concluding there were “reasonable grounds” to determine Leduc breached various campaign finance rules in 2022. They were supported by a third-party report by KPMG and acting on a complaint filed by Rioux.
The case is still in the provincial offenses system for a final determination as to whether Leduc breached election finance rules. Although a timeline is still unknown, the province noted that prosecution related to the 2022 election must be commenced before Nov. 15, 2026. The next municipal election will be held on Oct. 26, 2026.
Separate from this is a $29,500 lawsuit Leduc filed against the city after he was docked 30 days’ pay for alleged Code of Conduct breaches in 2023. This case has yet to reach its conclusion.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.