The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has sided with a lower B.C. court in dismissing a defamation suit brought in 2018 by a then Chilliwack school board trustee against a former teachers’ union leader, who described comments made by the trustee as bigoted, transphobic and hateful.
The ruling ends legal recourse for Barry Neufeld, who had long attracted controversy over his views of how sexual orientation and gender identity is taught in schools during his time as a trustee for School District 33.
The case also provides legal context over how courts must weigh public interest over contentious debates such as those involving SOGI 123 — a resource to teach
