'Striptease artist': Former school trustee reacts to guilty ruling in defamation case

Barry Neufeld, a former Chilliwack, B.C. school trustee, was ordered to pay his former colleague, trustee Carin Bondar, $45,000 for labelling her a 'striptease artist.' His lawyer says the ruling will have a 'chilling effect' on free speech in the public sector.

Remove Ads

In today’s report, I interview Barry Neufeld, a former Chilliwack School District 33 trustee and longtime advocate for vulnerable children, about losing a defamation case brought against him by his former colleague and current vice chair of the board, Carin Bondar.

Justice K. Michael Stephens ruled in favour of Bondar’s claim that Neufeld defamed her during a “Power Hour” Zoom session hosted by Action 4 Canada in 2022.

During the meeting, Neufeld referred to Bondar, a self-proclaimed “biologist with a twist,” as a “striptease artist” in relation to a slew of sexually explicit content that’s publicly available online, showing trustee Bondar engaging in activities such as swinging on a wrecking ball naked, seductively licking a microscope, and discussing her “favourite topic,” animal sex.

https://twitter.com/DreaHumphrey/status/1724872857879241150

The trustee’s commitment for such content to remain public while serving in a position representing children in Chilliwack's community has garnered much controversy. In January, popular American comedian and political commentator JP Sears published a video showcasing some of Bondar's online behaviour and referred to her as a "sexually perverted woman."

Nevertheless, Liberal-appointed Justice Stephens ruled that Neufeld’s comments were “objectively insulting and demeaning” to Bondar and ordered the elderly pensioner pay $45,000 in general and punitive damages.

Remove Ads
Remove Ads

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.

Remove Ads