Dieppe mayor files legal notice over campaign flyer

Dieppe Mayor Yvon Lapierre has filed a notice of legal action against one of his constituents, accusing him of defamation over a controversial flyer released during last years municipal election.

Lapierre filed the legal notice against Oswald LeBlanc, a Dieppe resident, in the Court of Queens Bench on May 6.

The action revolves around a pamphlet that was distributed to thousands of residents of Dieppe last May, a week before the municipal election.

Under the headline"The Real Facts About Yvon Lapierre" an anonymous group calling themselves "concerned citizens of Dieppe" made a series of allegations.

In his court filing, Lapierre named only LeBlanc.

Dieppes mayor obtained LeBlanc's nameafter he filed a court action asking Canada Post to reveal the identity of the person who distributed the flyers.

The notice of action alleges that some informationcontained in the flyer is defamatory.

In Lapierre's filing, he singled out a number of allegations as being false, including:

• That he gave out contracts worth $30 million to his friends without public input
• That Lapierre was responsible for heavy municipal debt and higher taxes
• That Lapierre hadn't lived in Dieppe for seven years leading up to the election and would only return if elected

Lapierre also said in his statement of claim that LeBlanc paid about $1,700 to have the political flyer mailed out. None of the facts have been proven in court.

Martin Aubin, a lawyer, received the papers on behalf of Oswald LeBlanc, who has 30 days to respond.

Lapierre was elected last year as Dieppe's mayor.

He had served as the city's mayor from 1997 to 2005 before stepping down from the position. The city's debt was $18.9 million in 2001 and $93.3 million in 2010.