First court date Wednesday for Lougheed charges

Prominent Sudburian Gerry Lougheed Jr. has his first court date Wednesday for charges laid in connection with the Sudbury byelection scandal.

Lougheed, a funeral director and former chair of Greater Sudbury Police Services Board, is charged with one count of Counselling an Offence Not Committed [Section 464 (a) of the Criminal Code] and one count of Unlawfully Influencing or Negotiating Appointments [Section 125 (b) of the Criminal Code].

The charges were laid in late September following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police's Anti-Rackets Branch that began in January. That's when former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier released recordings of a conversation with Lougheed in which Olivier's future as a candidate was discussed.

In the conversation, which took place in December 2014, Lougheed tells Olivier that Premier Kathleen Wynne was supporting Glenn Thibeault as the party's candidate in the February byelection.

At issue in the case is whether Olivier was improperly offered a job or an appointment in return for not running for the nomination and supporting Thibeault instead.

“I will be vigorously defending these charges in the courts,” Lougheed said in a press release when the charges were announced in September. “I have no further comments at this time as this matter is now before the courts.”

It's not known whether Lougheed will be in court on Wednesday.