2026 September 4

City of Saint-Colomban v. Cardinals of the Laurentians, 2026 QCCQ 4189

The Superior Court of Quebec awarded the defendant baseball team non-pecuniary damages totalling $15,000 over defamatory expression posted on the plaintiff city’s Facebook page and published in a press release that was picked up by a local newspaper.  The award consisted of $10,000 moral damages and $5,000 punitive damages. The court held the defamation include a video posted on November 13, 2024, in which the Mayor criticized the baseball club, misrepresenting the facts and a press release which falsely reiterated that the baseball club had violated its financial obligations to the city regarding a new baseball park.  The Court was also critical of the city for encouraging other municipalities not to host the baseball club, with the result that the club was prevented from relocating to a new host city.  The Court ruled there was no basis for the plaintiff city to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiff club, and that the city was pernicious in its messaging to other municipalities. “Tel qu’invoqué par le Club, les propos tenus par la Ville ont pour objectif qu’il soit considéré comme un mauvais payeur par les citoyens et les autres municipalités…Le Tribunal conclut donc à une faute commise par la Ville. La preuve prépondérante convainc le Tribunal du caractère préjudiciable de la faute de la Ville. En raison des propos diffamatoires tenus par la Ville, le Club n’a toujours pas réussi à conclure une entente avec une autre ville de la région pour lui permettre d’y tenir le calendrier de ses matchs à domicile.”