CITATION: Awan v. Levant, 2014 ONSC 6890
COURT FILE NO.: CV-09-00386377
DATE: 20141127
SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE
BETWEEN:
KHURRUM AWAN
– and –
EZRA LEVANT
)
)
)
)
Plaintiff )
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Defendant )
)
)
)
)
Brian G. Shiller and Angela Chaisson, for
the Plaintiff
Iain A.C. MacKinnon, for the Defendant
HEARD: March 3-7, 10-11, April 7, 2014
REASONS FOR DECISION
JUSTICE W. MATHESON
[1]
This libel action challenges nine publications by the defendant on his blog:
ezralevant.com. These blog posts generally relate to the events leading up to and including a
hearing of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal in 2008.
[2]
The plaintiff was one of a group of students who had concerns about an article published
in Maclean’s magazine, and attempted to redress those concerns through different avenues
including through available human rights legislation. The defendant is a commentator on issues
of concern to him, including the role of human rights commissions. He targeted the plaintiff for
criticism not just on that issue, but also because of the plaintiff’s connections with the then
President of the Canadian Islamic Congress (“CIC”), an individual against whom the defendant
bears substantial ill-will.
[3]
The plaintiff claims that the words complained of in the nine blog posts are false and
defamatory of him. Although other defences were also pleaded, the defendant relied mainly on
2014 ONSC 6890 (CanLII)
ONTARIO