Councillor Jim Karygiannis back in office after court grants stay of decision

Toronto City Councillor Jim Karygiannis is back in office once again after he was granted a stay on the decision by the Court of Appeal that ousted him from his seat on council.

The stay will allow Karygiannis to reclaim his Ward 22 seat while he tries to have his appeal heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Toronto resident who requested the initial audit on Karygiannis’ election spending, Adam Chaleff, confirmed the decision in a thread of Twitter, saying he did not contest the stay motion.

Chaleff said he reached an agreement with Karygiannis and the City of Toronto to request the Supreme Court review the decision on an expedited basis by Sept. 30.

He adds the stay will be temporary and will last until the Supreme Court has made a decision on whether to hear the appeal.

Karygiannis had been ousted for the second time in June after the Court of Appeal overturned a previous ruling that saw him reinstated in the midst of improper election spending allegations.

Shortly after, Karygiannis’ lawyer confirmed to CityNews they planed to appeal the ruling.

According to the City of Toronto, Karygiannis’ financial statement for the 2018 election showed that he exceeded the allowable spending amount by more than $25,000, leading to his removal as the councillor for Ward 22 last November.

Karygiannis has argued it was a “clerical error” in the paperwork.