20-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Grand chief, chiefs organization accuse reporter, publication of defamation
The Southern Chiefs' Organization and its grand chief have filed a defamation lawsuit against a reporter and an Indigenous news publication.
The suit, filed on behalf of SCO and Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, accuses Trevor Greyeyes and Terra Indigena of defamation over claims that were made in three articles published in March and April.
'The plaintiffs say that the untrue and defamatory statements were made to cause embarrassment and humiliation to them and to generally disparage and cause harm to the plaintiffs' reputation, standing and interests,' the court papers say.
The suit alleges written statements made by Greyeyes falsely claim Daniels 'engaged in criminal conduct,' that 'he accepted a bribe or secret commission' … (and) 'he uses his position for personal financial benefit.'
The court filing also accuses Greyeyes of making false claims that defamed the Southern Chiefs' Organization in the articles.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels
The articles were published on Terra Indigena's website, where Greyeyes works as a freelancer, as well as on the First Nations Voice website and newsletters, a publication owned and operated by Greyeyes.
The court filing alleges Greyeyes first defamed Daniels in an article published in early March. The story refers to the ongoing lawsuit filed by the Southern Chiefs Economic Development Corp. in November 2023 against a private numbered company. It seeks the repayment of a $100,000 deposit related to a deal for the corporation to purchase five parcels of land on Dugald Road, which did not go ahead.
Claims made in the court filings were reported by the Free Press and other local media in January.
The numbered company, in a countersuit and statement of defence filed in May 2024, accused Daniels of defaulting on a personal loan and then saying he could 'influence the progress' of the $20-million land deal, if the company demanded he repay the personal mortgage loan, which was for a condo purchase. The loan's specific amount wasn't included in the court filings.
In a reply filed in August 2024, SCO's development corporation said Daniels had obtained a personal mortgage from a corporation related to the numbered company, but said the grand chief was approached about it first.
It denied he had defaulted and said the mortgage was irrelevant to the litigation. The matter remains before the court.
In an article in early March, Greyeyes questioned the loan and land deal and claimed a secret commission was involved.
The lawsuit claims Greyeyes defamed Daniels by repeating the allegation in two more articles in March and April.
In the April story, Greyeyes said a courier had dropped off a letter, written by lawyers representing Daniels, which threatened a defamation lawsuit. He noted he had been barred from SCO media events.
On Tuesday, Greyeyes said he hadn't yet received notice of the lawsuit.
'I stand by (the reporting),' Greyeyes, a 60-year-old from Peguis First Nation, told the Free Press.
'I'm an elder and a knowledge keeper. I've been a journalist for over 30 years… I'm not somebody new to this.'
He said he plans to raise money to hire a lawyer to defend him in court. He has not yet filed a statement of defence.
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The lawsuit asks the court to grant injunctions barring the defendants from further publishing the alleged defamatory statements and to delete the existing statements. It seeks unspecified damages, interest and court costs.
Daniels and the SCO are in charge of the massive redevelopment of the former Bay store downtown. The project was pegged at $130 million in 2022, but has since more than doubled to $310 million, with completion expected in 2028.
Daniels made headlines after he was involved in an altercation outside a bar in downtown Ottawa on Dec. 3.
He later issued a public apology and said he would seek treatment for alcohol use.
Chief Cornell McLean of Lake Manitoba First Nation was acting chief until Daniels was reinstated in January.
Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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