Nnewspaper ads in Vaughan, Ont. bring on libel suits

Vaughan’s hospital corporation has filed a libel notice over a newspaper ad placed by a mysterious group calling itself Time for Change Vaughan that implied condos would be built on a portion of the hospital lands.
“This sort of political attack suggests they have received public money pretending that it’s for the hospital’s benefit and they’re selling it (the land) off for condos,” said lawyer Julian Porter, acting for the Vaughan Health Campus of Care. “There’s nothing improper going on and there’s no intent whatsoever to put condos there.”
The ad outlines a series of pressing community issues its sponsors want to highlight, including gridlock, urban sprawl, lavish dinners attended by politicians and paid for by taxpayers and a 17 per cent property tax hike over four years.
Antony Niro, spokesperson for Time for Change Vaughan, which also has its own website, says he will review the contents of the ad. He said it was not the hospital the ad was aimed at, but rather the politicians.
Also named in the suit are the Vaughan Citizen, which carried the full page ad last month, Metroland Media Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corp., which also owns the Toronto Star, and several Metroland officials.