Evidence

A federal corporate record supplied for this project lists Leonardo Publishing Ltd. as incorporated on this date.

A separate Quebec insolvency record concerns Les Publications Leonardo Ltée (see March 5, 2019).

The Quebec Press Council considered former editor Linda Maislin’s complaint concerning The Hampstead Journal.

English translation: “The Council was struck by the coincidence between the volume of municipal advertising and the kind of coverage the newspaper published about the municipality.” It noted abundant municipal advertising alongside favourable profiles of municipal officials, followed by a decline after Maislin’s reporting about the BPG security agency.

The Council said it could not conclude with absolute certainty that the alleged pressure influenced editorial content or caused Maislin’s dismissal, although it had enough indications to cast doubt on the municipality’s and newspaper’s conduct. This is not proof of a quid pro quo or a finding about Ontario publications.

The Council found that the Journal de l’Île des Sœurs published inaccurate information about Derek Head’s departure from the residents’ association.

The decision concerned two Journal de Saint-Lambert texts about Greenfield Park’s mayor and council. The 2017 court judgment says the Council criticized the failure to identify opinion pieces as opinion, which could confuse readers.

Le Courrier du Sud reported that Leonardo was ordered to pay former MP Jacques Saada $10,000 in moral damages for harm to dignity, honour and reputation.

The 2017 Superior Court judgment says the City reviewed publication costs in autumn 2010 and found it was paying approximately twice as much by using only the Journal. It began placing material in other newspapers (paragraphs 47–49).

2010: $39,782, paid to Journal de Saint-Lambert.

2011: Approximately $18,415, paid to Other newspapers.

2012: $13,984, paid to Other newspapers.

November–December 2013: $2,936, paid to Journal de Saint-Lambert.

2014: $37,880, paid to Journal de Saint-Lambert (exclusive placement resumed).

The 2013 amount covers November–December only. The judgment does not separate advertising from public-notice or press-release costs. Advertising and statutory public notices are different categories; this record does not establish a legal requirement to buy notices from any particular newspaper.

The City of Saint-Lambert filed a defamation action against the Journal St-Lambert and David Leonardo.

The matter concerned Louis Beauchamp’s complaint about the Journal de St-Lambert, a Quebec publication, not one of the Ontario newspapers. The Council upheld complaints about the inaccurate headline and article « Le hockey mineur demande un référendum sur l’aréna », published July 3, 2013, and about the Journal’s delay in correcting the errors.

On appeal (the Council’s record lists September 17, 2014 as the appeal date), the reporter was cleared of responsibility; the appeal decision attributed the errors to the paper’s editing process and said responsibility for correction rested with the editor.

The Council upheld Martin Smith’s complaint in part and reprimanded Leonardo and the Journal de Saint-Lambert for inaccurate information, lack of balance and refusal to retract. It rejected the separate allegation of bias and incitement to express disagreement. A reputational-harm allegation was not considered because it belonged to the judicial sphere; that was not a rejection on its merits.

Le Courrier du Sud reported that the recent reprimand was the third against Leonardo, referring to earlier reprimands in 1993 and 1996, and said six complaints had been filed against him.

The Quebec Superior Court ruled for the plaintiffs, awarded $130,000 in moral and punitive damages, and ordered publication of parts of the judgment. The court reviewed about 40 articles from 2011 to 2013.

English translations of paragraph 278: the defendants placed themselves at Alain Dépatie’s “unconditional and almost exclusive service”; “Coverage of municipal affairs was not handled in a balanced, measured, or accurate manner.” The finding concerns the Journal de Saint-Lambert during the 2009–2013 municipal administration, not the Ontario newspapers.

The judgment states that the Press Council studied six complaints involving Leonardo between 1986 and 2015 and upheld five wholly or partly. This is the court’s aggregate summary; individual outcomes are as stated in the linked decisions.

Le Courrier du Sud reported that City ad and public-notice payments to the Journal fell from about $40,000 to $14,000 annually after the City ended exclusive placement there. It also quoted Leonardo’s trial testimony that he reacted to unanswered City emails by publishing more outrageous remarks.

The court found the paper’s coverage served Alain Dépatie “unconditionally and almost exclusively.” These findings do not establish that Dépatie or any other politician paid Leonardo for favourable coverage.

Le Courrier du Sud reported that Mayor Alain Dépatie said he was satisfied with the judgment and said he had given Leonardo his opinions in good faith.

Les Publications Leonardo appealed the trial judgment.

The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the trial judgment.

A Quebec insolvency record supplied for this project lists Les Publications Leonardo Ltée as the debtor, with $199,503 in liabilities and $1 in assets as declared by the debtor.

The record lists these aliases or publication names: “2015 05 11 EN,” Immo Journal Centre Ville Montréal, Immo Journal Vieux Montréal, Journal St Lambert, Journal Ville de Mont Royal, Le Petit Annuaire de Saint Lambert, Les Éditions du Journal Brossard, Les Éditions du Journal Longueuil, Les Éditions du Journal Rive Sud, and St Lambert Journal. These are aliases listed on one estate record, not proof that each was a separate corporation or separately bankrupt.

FM 103.3 and TVRS reported on the bankruptcy filing and the City’s response. Comments and allegations in those reports are the speakers’ or outlets’ own; allegations of a fraudulent bankruptcy are not a court finding.

The insolvency record supplied for this project lists the first creditors’ meeting for 11:00 a.m.

This is the period covered by statements and comments addressed in Leonardo’s later retractions.

FM 103.3 reported on January 22, 2020 that David Leonardo published retractions and apologies concerning at least 18 items in the January 15 edition. The report described his acknowledgement that some writings, statements or comments could have misled readers. This is media reporting about retractions, not a court finding.

A resident asked about the City’s use of a trustee to recover the judgment. Records supplied for this project show the City describing the bankruptcy as an effort to avoid payment; they do not establish that the City filed a formal opposition to discharge.

FM 103.3 separately reported the City’s estimate of $325,000 in legal costs.

FM 103.3 reported that the City received this amount following the proceedings; the City did not specify whether it came from Leonardo personally or his company.

The supplied record lists a trustee/administrator discharge date. Its debtor-discharge-status field appears blank, so this is not confirmation of Leonardo’s personal discharge.

English translation: “This newspaper is more like a propaganda tool that has controlled the election of mayors in our city for a long time through the lies and defamation it publishes.” — Pascale Mongrain, outgoing mayor of Saint-Lambert, quoted by Le Courrier du Sud after her 2025 election defeat, November 3, 2025.

FM 103.3 reported that the Journal would cease publication after 44 years. According to that report, Leonardo attributed the decision to the end of municipal advertising support and said the paper could no longer be maintained financially. This is his stated explanation.

The Journal Ville Mont-Royal article was published on October 1, 2025. The complaint was filed on October 7, 2025. The article published four citizens’ home addresses; on September 25, 2026, the Press Council upheld the privacy complaint and reprimanded Leonardo and the paper.

This concerns a separate publication, not the three Ontario newspapers, and falls after the six-complaint period (1986–2015) summarized by the 2017 court.