The election compliance case for a Sudbury city councillor has been pushed over until the fall, almost one month before the October municipal election. Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc has been charged with nine counts of violating the Municipal Elections Act. The charges are connected to finances and fundraising during the 2022 municipal election. If found guilty, penalties could include being barred from running in the next election. However, Leduc has already filed papers to run for mayor of Greater Sudbury in the 2026 election, set for Oct. 26. The court case was in the provincial offences court on Monday. Leduc’s lawyer appeared virtually on his behalf. She told the judge they expect to reach a plea bargain over the summer and are attempting to schedule a judicial pre-trial for July or August. Justice McMahon said scheduling needed to be within six months. He put the case over until Sept. 21, to either set a trial date or for a resolution, depending on the results of the judicial pre-trial. In his lawyer’s hands CTV News contacted Leduc for comment, who said the matter was in his lawyer’s hands and he had no further comment. A person convicted of committing an offence under the Municipal Elections Act could either pay a $25,000 fine or be ineligible to run in the next election. In January, Leduc was ordered to pay $63,000 in court costs after he withdrew lawsuits he launched against a private citizen and the City of Greater Sudbury. In a CTV interview Jan. 7, Leduc said he dropped the suits so his Municipal Elections Act case could proceed in the courts. An audit ordered by the city’s election compliance audit committee of Leduc’s 2022 campaign finances found he appeared to have violated campaign spending rules.
