CAYUGA, Ont. - A charge against Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino of influencing or attempting to influence municipal officials has been put over until next month.
It's a move the activist who brought the allegations says is an obvious attempt to make it look like the government is taking the charge seriously -- even though it's made the opposite quite clear.
"It's clear the Crown was going to stay the charge today, there's no other reason to bring it forward," Gary McHale said after the proceedings.
"They knew they wouldn't get away with it so therefore they had to adjourn it for Feb. 3rd."
The Crown asked the court for more time to review new evidence relating to the allegations and asked McHale to produce it by Jan. 20 so the Crown can decide whether to go ahead with the charges on Feb. 3 -- the original date cited in Fantino's summons.
Crown attorney Milan Rupic gave no explanation as to why he asked to bring the matter forward Friday only to push it back to the initial date.
But to McHale, the move was meant to quash media attention after Premier Dalton McGuinty came under fire for playing down the allegations.
McGuinty said this week there was no need for Fantino to step aside until the charge was dealt with because it's "private information being put forward by a private citizen."
McGuinty has denied suggestions he was trying to trivialize the charges, and the NDP says his loyalty to Fantino is misplaced.
McHale has been trying to have Fantino charged after the commissioner allegedly sent an email in 2007 telling the mayor and councillors in Caledonia not to attend McHale's rallies.
Fantino wasn't in the Cayuga, Ont., courthouse when the Crown spoke to the charge, but he has vowed to fight the allegations.
