Former Brampton councillor Gurpreet Dhillon is asking a court to require the city to remove a 2020 integrity commissioner’s report from its online records, arguing its continued publication harms his reputation as he seeks a return to council.
The Pointer reported that Dhillon filed a Notice of Action in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice on September 29. His claim centres on a September 2023 letter in which the woman whose allegations prompted the report withdrew them and apologized.
The notice is an initial step toward a lawsuit. Only the City of Brampton is named as a defendant, with the claim focusing on its responsibility for material published on its websites.
Dhillon wants a permanent injunction requiring removal of the report, related links, summaries and recordings from city websites, online portals and meeting archives. He also seeks an order requiring the city to publish an acknowledgement that the complainant recanted her allegations.
The claim seeks $1 in general damages, a further $50,000 in damages and legal costs, according to The Pointer. The outlet reported that the city had not filed a notice of intent to defend and did not respond to its request for comment.
The dispute concerns a report by integrity commissioner Muneeza Sheikh examining allegations arising from a city-led trade mission to Turkey in 2019. Dhillon denied the allegations, and no police charges were pursued.
Sheikh found that Dhillon breached the city’s code of conduct provisions concerning harassment and discreditable conduct. Council accepted her recommendations in 2020, including a 90-day suspension without pay.
In June 2021, a three-judge Superior Court panel largely upheld the report, rejecting most of Dhillon’s judicial review application. The panel found that the investigation could reasonably begin without a formal complaint and that Dhillon had not been denied procedural fairness.
The Pointer reported obtaining the complainant’s September 1, 2023, letter to council withdrawing the allegations. The outlet also said it verified that her lawyer had confirmed the letter’s validity.
Correspondence obtained by The Pointer shows Sheikh’s lawyer told Dhillon’s lawyer in November 2024 that Sheikh lacked statutory authority to remove the report and that council would have to act.
At a May 6 council appearance, Sheikh said she had been unable to locate the complainant and could not authenticate the letter, according to The Pointer.
Dhillon’s claim limits the damages sought to the election period beginning with his May 28 nomination. He argues continued publication has forced him to spend campaign time and money responding to the report. Dhillon lost his council seat in 2022 and is seeking election on October 26.
