Ousted Catholic trustee asks courts for exception

Another 20 candidates who ran in the local municipal and trustee elections last fall also didn't file their paperwork in time, but Cameron was the only one who held elected office. Those who defaulted on this responsibility are also unable to run in the next municipal and trustee elections in 2018.

Cameron said he's submitted an application to the Ontario Court of Justice asking for an extension to the deadline to file financial statements.

“From my understanding, there's two or three similar cases where the judge ruled in favour of the extension,” he said. “I explored my options, and this one presented itself in terms of being able to file.”

In a previous interview, Cameron said he forgot to file the paperwork after three family members passed away in the past two months.

The Sudbury Catholic board previously said it was considering replacing Cameron either through an appointment or a byelection. It must replace Cameron within 90 days.

So what's going to happen now that Cameron's made his petition to the courts for an extension?

Both Michael Bellmore, Sudbury Catholic's interim board chair, and Sudbury Catholic director of education Joanne Bénard are currently out of town, and were unavailable for an interview.

However, Sudbury Catholic spokesperson Gina Tullio did issue a statement on behalf of the board.

“The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has been made aware that Jody Cameron has decided to appeal his removal,” she said in an email.

“We are awaiting that decision before we look at next steps. Our vice-chair Michael Bellmore is acting as interim chair, and our April 21, 2015 board meeting will take place as scheduled.”