A citizens group that wants a judge to examine the city’s handling of the Lansdowne Park revitalization project says it’s being bullied with the threat of court costs.
“This is about having an open government,” said Gary Sealey, a member of the Friends of Lansdowne Inc. Sealey and other members of the group say the city is ignoring its own policy not to seek costs against public-interest litigants.
A city spokesman said in an email that the municipality always waits until the conclusion of a case to decide if it should seek costs.
Sealey and others counter their lawsuit isn’t frivolous or vexatious. They said the winner of the revitalization contract, the Ottawa Sports Entertainment Group, wants intervener status in their case and has also asked for court costs to be awarded.
In court documents, OSEG said it wants intervener status because it could be adversely affected by the case.
The parties are set to argue the issues in court Friday.
