unbelievable if local tax-payers have to pay for xmayor;now harper's boy 'colin mayes mp' legal battle ...

Must the taxpayers take responsibility for Mayes’ comments?
Salmon Arm Paper: Friday AM, april 13, 2006, friam.ca/issues/april13.pdf
Joyce Henderson, Salmon Arm (editorial)

I was alarmed to read in the Globe and Mail (reprinted in the April All Month) that the City of Salmon Arm has taken responsibility for the lawsuit against Colin Mayes. When asked about being “sued for allegedly writing malicioius comments about a mayoral candidate when he was mayor of Salmon Arm” Mr. Mayes “denied the accusations in the lawsuit” and stated “the matter is now in the hands of the City of Salmon Arm”.

I interpret this to mean that the City, and ultimately the taxpayers, is paying for the lawyer to defend Mr. Mayes and if the accusations are found to be correct will be responsible for any settlement. Why does the taxpayer need to accept responsiblity for the consequences of Mr Mayes comments? Should not Mr. Mayes be responsible for the consequences of his comments?

{Dan Cook on politics
DAN COOK, Globe and Mail, Friday, March 31

Do not pass go

By Tory MP Colin Mayes own logic, he should be jailed.

Mayes latest column, which he forwarded to 10 newspapers, suggests bad journalists should be jailed. One-day later, he retracted "without reservation." Not a sentence or a paragraph: the entire piece.Either the PMO forced Mayes to retract from his true beliefs, or what he originally penned was a fabrication. In either case, he's not being honest with his readers. Colin Mayes is guilty of what he's criticizing: bad journalism.[Flashback Colin Mayes Sued For Libel And Defamation]}