Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson denies sexual assault charges in court

Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson became emotional as he heard about the sexual assault charges filed against him. First elected in 2003, he has been a long-serving Scarborough Centre representative but now faces two counts of sexual assault stemming from incidents alleged to have occurred during a Canada Day weekend at a Port Carling cottage in 2022.

He has pleaded not guilty and testified that he did not touch either of the two young women without their consent. Although he described that one encounter was consensual, as the woman initiated and performed oral sex on him. He also emphasised that at no point was she unconscious, asleep, uncomfortable, or resistant, and that she never said no to him.

“There was no issue at all,” Thompson testified. He said that at no point did anyone appear to be uncomfortable and not enjoying themselves.


The witnesses also alleged that Thompson and his longtime friend’s behavior was inappropriate. One witness went on to compare her to a convicted human trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, and suggested that she groomed the young women by giving them marijuana and alcohol.

Thompson denied the allegations and said that she was mentoring the women who were looking for jobs, not grooming them.

He also said he never told the women to “feel free to get naked” and denied witness testimony that his friend removed her top.

Another woman testified that Thompson touched her under her bikini top while applying lotion on the cottage dock. Thompson firmly denied this, stating he did not touch her backside or breasts and never touched her sexually.

Thompson's lawyer, Leora Shemesh, presented a narrative during the cross-examination that the sexual encounter was consensual and initiated by the complainant.

But the complainant told the court a different story

The complainant testified that she was "blacked out drunk" and awoke to find Thompson on top of her, attempting to force her to perform oral sex. She stated that she repeatedly told Thompson she didn't want to have sex and felt trapped due to her intoxicated state.

The trial has faced delays due to scheduling conflicts and began in October 2024. Thompson will continue to give his testimony on Thursday(May 8), and the identities of complainants and witnesses are protected for now.