It's starting. The media in Canada is bought and paid for by Justin Trudeau. Now Canada is fighting back against their lies and their continued attacks on good people.
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PRESS RELEASE
Alicia Hirter Files Defamation Lawsuit FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 27, 2022 – A business owner files a $7.5 million lawsuit against GRANT LAFLECHE, METROLAND MEDIA GROUP LTD. and TORSTAR CORPORATION.
Alicia Hirter is the owner of Chrome Artistic Barbering, a St. Catharines-area small business. Originally operating as a hair salon, Chrome Artistic Barbering reinvented itself as a film studio during the COVID-19 lockdowns to be able to continue to operate pursuant to Ontario’s new framework for regulating businesses.
This transformation received significant attention from the media. Grant LeFleche is a reporter for the St. Catharines Standard, a local newspaper based in St. Catharines, Ontario. Mr. LaFleche took a particular interest in Ms. Hirter and Chrome Artistic Barbering. In January and February of 2021, Mr. Lefleche wrote several articles portraying Ms. Hirter in a highly negative light and describing her as, among other things, an ‘anti masker’ and spreader of misinformation about the COVID 19 pandemic. On February 13, 2021, Mr. LaFleche took things a step further.
In an article originally published in the St. Catharines Standard and subsequently reprinted in multiple other publications under the Metroland/Torstar umbrella, Mr. LaFleche accused Ms. Hirter of inciting violence against Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji. Specifically, the article claimed that Ms. Hirter was calling for the arrest, assault and even beheading of Dr. Hirji. Mr. LaFleche’s outrageous allegations against Mr. Hirter were entirely false. She never made the vile statements that were wrongly attributed to her.
The February 13, 2021 article garnered widespread attention and was widely shared and discussed on social media. A number of public officials, including Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reacted to the article on Twitter to condemn threats of violence directed at Dr. Hirji. The publication of the February 13, 2021 article had a devastating effect on Ms. Hirter and her business. It affected Ms. Hirter’s personal and professional reputation and destroyed relationships with customers and members of the community.
Ms. Hirter suffered significant financial losses as a result. Ms. Hirter also received multiple death threats and her underage son was subjected to bullying and abuse online. Ms. Hirter is seeking $7.5 million in damages as compensation for financial losses and emotional distress. A copy of the Statement of Claim setting out Ms. Hirter’s claims is attached.
Those claims have not yet been proven in Court. For more information, please contact Ms. Hirter’s legal counsel:
Arkadi Bouchelev
Barrister & Solicitor
Bouchelev Law Professional Corporation
181 University Avenue, Suite 2200
Toronto, ON M5H 3M7
Telephone: 416-594-1400
E-mail: arkadi@bouchelevlaw.com