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Rebel News is suing a federal Crown corporation and a Toronto-area member of Parliament, arguing that the Crown corporation imposed unwarranted security costs and attempted to put a stop to an event featuring Donald Trump Jr.

At issue was a two-day event, held in May 2024 and hosted by Rebel News and Rumble, the right-wing social media platform. The Rumble Live event featured Trump Jr., journalist Glenn Greenwald and Canadian lawyer and YouTuber David Freiheit.

The Rebel Live event featured speeches by Rebel News journalists and guests of the media organization.

It was held at the Warehouse, an events space Downsview Park in Toronto. Canada Lands Company Limited is the federal Crown corporation that operates Downsview Park.

The statement of claim filed Monday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by Rebel News and Rumble says that Rebel News took precautions so that “the event will not be influenced or ‘cancelled’ for political reasons,” which included a clause in the rental agreement that the Warehouse would “uphold free speech principles and contractual obligations, irrespective of the event’s content or the public’s reaction to such content.”

“Rebel News is a platform for some views and ideas that are outside of the mainstream,” the statement of claim says.

The event went ahead without a hitch, but the lawsuit argues that it happened despite a campaign intended to put a stop to it. The claims have not been tested in court.

In late March 2024, the lawsuit alleges that Robert Ng, the director of attractions at the CN Tower and Downsview Park sent an email to two of his co-workers, flagging the event as controversial and warning that it could lead to an “undesirable crowd.” Andrea Thompson, the director of property management for Downsview Park, forwarded the email onwards, saying “I suppose we can’t stop these undesirable events.”

The lawsuit claims that Roxanne Krause, who’s the director of security at the CN Tower, which is also owned by Canada Lands, was “tasked with disrupting and attempting to prevent the Event from going ahead.”

“I love a new challenge,” the lawsuit alleges she wrote in an email, while acknowledging that the Warehouse was a tenant, and Canada Lands had little sway over events it hosted. (The Warehouse is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.)

Krause, the lawsuit says, allegedly reached out to the Toronto Police Service to see if there were any potential security risks, including the possibility of counter-demonstrations. The police service responded that it was not aware of any potential concerns, the lawsuit says, but Canada Lands nevertheless considered renting security fences, if it saw any online chatter about the event. (At that point, they had seen little online about it.)

“The Defendants set about a course of action that was designed to prevent the Event from proceeding,” the lawsuit alleges. “The Defendants acted together to avoid what they considered to be the negative political implications of a polarizing group hosting an event in a federally owned park.”

The lawsuit claims that Canada Lands co-ordinated with Ya’ara Saks, the Liberal member of Parliament for York Centre, where Downsview Park is located. (The lawsuit concedes that the plaintiffs — Rebel News, its founder Ezra Levant and Rumble — do not know the details of a “response plan” allegedly developed by Saks, her office and Canada Lands.)

The lawsuit argues that the group then put forward an “unconstitutional plan” comprised of “unwarranted costs,” meant to prevent the event from proceeding. Specifically, the Warehouse was told by Canada Lands that there would be additional security costs, and if they were not paid by Rebel News and Rumble, the event would not be permitted to proceed.

“The Defendants knew that if the Plaintiffs could not pay the Unwarranted Costs, the Event would be cancelled, as this was the ultimatum they imposed on the Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit says.

David Silber, with the Warehouse, contacted Rebel News founder Ezra Levant, and gave him a roughly $37,000 invoice for $1,900 for port-a-potties and around $7,500 for security fencing, plus additional, unspecified costs.

Rebel News, Rumble and Levant paid the invoice “under protest and duress,” the lawsuit says. It argues the additional sums were not set out in the original agreement and “nor was there any basis to insist on these charges. There were no known threats of counter-protests.”

“There was no security threat created by the Event and any security issues associated with the Event were adequately and appropriately addressed by Rebel News and Donald Trump Jr., who had their own security personnel arranged for the Event,” the lawsuit says.

On the first day of the event, May 10, 2024, Saks — who had previously been sued by Rebel News over restricting access to her social media accounts — condemned the event, saying “Rebel News will be bringing its hateful and extremist views to York Centre.”

“While I am a strong supporter of the right to free speech, let me be clear that the vile views espoused by Rebel News are not welcome in York Centre, nor do its residents support them,” Saks said in a post to X.

Regardless, the event went ahead, the lawsuit says, adding that the additional security and infrastructure they had paid for was not needed.

The plaintiffs argue that its Charter rights to free speech were violated by the additional costs imposed and that the individuals sued — Saks plus staff at Canada Lands — were in breach of their roles as public officers.

“In breach of their fiduciary duties, the Defendants allowed their personal distaste for the Plaintiffs political, cultural, and social views to discriminate against the Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit alleges.

It also argues that they unlawfully pressured the Warehouse to breach its contract with Rebel News and Rumble, among other allegations.

The lawsuit seeks $37,177.80 in damages — the exact cost of the security invoice — and $250,000 in punitive and exemplary damages, plus any further damages for the actions of the individuals named.

Canada Lands Company Limited declined to comment on the lawsuit. Saks, in an emailed statement to National Post, said she had yet to see the court documents, but suggested the lawsuit had been “timed to come out in the middle of an election campaign.”

“If I am ever served with the court documents, I will fully defend myself and my actions taken for the benefit of the people of York Centre,” Saks said in the statement.

 

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