Nearly three years after first facing charges of sexual assault, sitting Toronto city councillor Michael Thompson began to tell a Barrie, Ont., courtroom his account of events surrounding a Muskoka cottage getaway, presenting himself as an individual willing to assist those in need.
Thompson, 65, has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault. Two women have previously testified that during a cottage stay over the Canada Day long weekend in 2022, Thompson sexually assaulted them. One woman alleges Thompson groped her breasts and buttocks under her bathing suit while applying sunscreen, while another testified the Scarborough Centre councillor forced oral sex upon her while she was severely intoxicated and had told him “no.”
On Tuesday, Thompson took the stand in Barrie and began telling the court his side of the story. He began with how he first met another guest he had invited to the cottage, a third woman who testified in the fall and whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
The councillor said he met the woman, who was 22 years old at the time, at a Yorkville art gallery event. That guest previously told the court that Thompson had approached her and insisted she have a glass of wine.
Thompson offered a different account of the events and said the woman had approached him. The pair met again later that night at a neighbouring restaurant and at the end of the night, Thompson said he offered her a ride home to Richmond Hill after learning the woman had missed her GO Bus.
During the drive, Thompson said the woman became emotional speaking about her family and lack of employment opportunities and after learning she was at risk of having her cellphone service cut, he said he offered her two $50 bills to pay for it. Thompson said it wasn’t out of the ordinary to give money to people in need and said the witness was so grateful she gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
That same witness previously told the court she thought Thompson’s offer of money was uncalled for and found it strange. She also testified that it was during the drive that Thompson first brought up the cottage weekend, which was presented as an opportunity to network.
Thompson said it would have been impossible to make the cottage offer at that time, because he hadn’t yet been loaned the cottage. He said it was later that lawyer Calvin Berry, who briefly represented Thompson when he was charged in 2022, offered to loan the councillor the Muskoka cottage for the long weekend.
The councillor also denied ever presenting the weekend as a work event and said he wanted to go to the cottage to get away from work. All three witnesses who testified for the Crown have said Thompson spent most of the weekend on work calls, at some points saying he was speaking to Premier Doug Ford.
Thompson also testified that he had told the witness to invite her mother and siblings, but they couldn’t attend. He also said he was inviting everyone he knew to the cottage, including their family members.
Earlier in the day, defence lawyer Leora Shemesh’s first witness was a woman who identified herself as a friend of Thompson. She told the court that Thompson had invited her and her family to the Muskoka cottage for the Labour Day long weekend in 2022, but eventually declined the offer.
Thompson later testified that the offer was in fact for the Canada Day weekend and that he would have been campaigning for his re-election over the September weekend.
Thompson is expected to continue his testimony when the trial continues on Wednesday.