Vancouver mayor suing his former chief of staff for defamation
Sim's lawsuit alleges Allam and real estate developer Alexander George Tsakumis made 'false and defamatory' statements about the mayor.
The statements in question relate to an alleged incident in which Sim was supposedly caught driving drunk by Vancouver police, who let him go without citing him for any offence.
Sim denies that any such incident took place, and an investigation by B.C.'s Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner concluded there was 'no objective evidence of an interaction between members of the (Vancouver Police Department) and the plaintiff,' according to the lawsuit.
The OPCC investigation concluded the allegations were 'baseless,' the lawsuit states.
Sim's notice of civil claim alleges that Allam told Tsakumis and others about the purported impaired driving incident, and that Tsakumis later posted about the incident on social media, calling it 'one of the most shameful acts by a mayor of this city. Ever.'
Both men are alleged to have made their comments either 'with malice, knowing them to be false,' or in 'reckless disregard' to the truth.
The allegations against Allam and Tsakumis have not been proven in court and neither man has filed a formal response to Sim's claim.
Speaking to CTV News by phone on Friday, Allam said it is 'a matter of public record' that he was not the source of the allegedly defamatory rumours. He said he would 'vigorously defend the truth.'
The lawsuit notes that the allegedly defamatory words were republished in anonymous flyers that circulated during Vancouver's recent byelection for two empty city council seats.
Allam described the lawsuit as 'a cheap, political distraction' and attacked Sim's record, saying the mayor has made 'zero progress' on his agenda while raising property taxes 'more than any other mayor in the history of the City of Vancouver.'
'Every single aspect of his platform that he's run on, he's failed on, and this is a distraction away from his failures,' Allam said.
In a written statement, Tsakumis also described the lawsuit as political.
'It won't be the first or last time this mayor is more interested in petty politics and frivolity over the needs of the fine people of Vancouver,' he said, in an email.
'His claims against me are vexatious and entirely meritless. My legal team looks forward to seeing how he holds up at trial, under oath.'
Sim's claim seeks general, aggravated and punitive damages, as well as a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from 'directly or indirectly making, publishing, disseminating or broadcasting the defamatory words, or words of like or similar effect.'
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Spencer Harwood
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Dig deep': Councillors encouraged to find more savings ahead of budget talks
City councillors are getting a preview of the difficult discussions and decisions to be made during budget deliberations. The governance and priorities committee received its second update on city finances on Wednesday after a grim forecast in June. This time it was presented with 69 options of items which aren't included in the budget but could be prioritized, if council chooses to add them. The chambers were filled with members of Saskatoon's business community looking to make their cases. 'Our message today is simple,' Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig said. 'From now until November, dig deep and demand better. Put the big brains in your administration to work on finding savings.' In June, the city forecasted property tax increases of 9.9 per cent in 2026 and 7.3 per cent in 2027 if spending were to continue as is. The increases amount to $22 and $18 per month, respectively, for an average assessed home value of $397,000. Council ended that meeting by asking administration to find additional savings to lower a 2025 property tax increase closer to 5 per cent. On Wednesday, dozens of members of both the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the NSBA filled the chambers to stress the importance of a lean budget cycle. 'Our members are clear, the pace of tax increases that we've seen and are projected to see is not sustainable,' NSBA executive director Keith Moen said to the committee. Moen highlighted the importance of A.I., and the effect the technology could have on city finances and staffing. Rather than welcome crops of new hires, Moen urged the city to explore all opportunities to utilize A.I. and save taxpayers' bottom line. 'A.I. represents the third major wave of technological change following the internet and smartphones,' he said. 'Every city employee, including council, should be planning for the future with A.I. in mind, but those who embrace it will help the city deliver better services at a lower cost. Those who don't risk holding us back.' Administration said the city is beginning to use A.I., calling its usage 'a little immature at this time.' A report is being prepared for council over 'the next several months,' but some councillors want to see those opportunities sooner. 'I think that's something that we could accelerate, and the sooner we hear back on that, the better,' Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer said. Wednesday's report before councillors was for information purposes only. No decisions were made, but the 69 options split between operating and capital expenditures — which account for a combined spending of $12.7 million in 2026 and $15.2 million in 2027 — not only set the stage for November's budget deliberations, they prioritize spending if councillors look to add. Ward 4 Coun. Troy Davies said policing is his main priority. He has no interest in reducing the police budget. Council previously learned the police budget alone would account for a 4.09 per cent increase to property taxes if approved as is. 'There's not a whole lot of room, other than going back in and cutting services, which might have to occur as well,' Davies said. 'I think everything should be on the table.' Wednesday's discussion ended with Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois asking administration to compile a list of items the city pays for which used to be the responsibility of the provincial or federal governments.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Man in his 50s seriously injured in downtown Toronto stabbing
A Toronto police cruiser is seen in this undated photo. (Simon Sheehan/CP24) A man in his 50s has been seriously injured in a stabbing in downtown Toronto, police say. Emergency services got a call for a stabbing in the area of Richmond Street West and Bathurst Street around 5:45 p.m. Toronto police say a man in his 50s was located with serious injuries. He was subsequently taken to a hospital. Officers arrested a man in his 40s at the scene, police say. He was shortly transported to the hospital with minor but non-life-threatening injuries. The circumstances that led to the stabbing are not immediately known.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Woman charged in Alliston bank fraud incident
The RBC on King Street in Alliston, Ont. A 39-year-old woman from Scarborough faces charges after reportedly trying to open a bank account with fake ID and a fake social insurance card in Alliston. Provincial police made the arrest on Tuesday after receiving a report about a customer with fraudulent documents at the RBC Royal Bank on King Street. Officers say the accused was also found with several other pieces of identification not belonging to her. She faces charges in connection with the case, plus failing to comply with two court orders. Police say the investigation is ongoing and ask the public to contact the OPP with any additional information.
