Two people who were jailed during June's G20 summit in Toronto have launched a $115-million class-action lawsuit against the Toronto Police Services Board, federal Attorney General Rob Nicholson and the Peel Police Services Board.

Mike Barber and Miranda McQuade, both of Toronto, are acting as representative plaintiffs for the approximately 1,150 people who were detained, arrested and incarcerated at a temporary detention centre in Toronto's east end after police clamped down on demonstrators during the summit.

The suit was filed Thursday at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto and also includes business owners whose property was vandalized.

The plaintiffs said in a statement of claim that they launched the suit to have the court declare that their constitutional and civil rights were violated, and denounce the conduct of the authorities during the G20 summit.

They also want to, among other things:

  • Ensure that democratic rights and fundamental freedoms in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms can be exercised by everyone without fear of detention, arrest, harassment.
  • Deter the defendants and any other public authority from acting in a manner that arbitrarily limits people's democratic and constitutional rights.
  • Bring the practices of public authorities into line with the charter and common law.

McQuade was arrested on June 26 during a peaceful demonstration at Queen's Park. She was strip-searched and detained for 18 hours at the makeshift detention centre on Eastern Avenue before being released, the claim stated. Barber took part in another demonstration the same day and was arrested, detained and released without being charged after 18.5 hours.

The class-action lawsuit is the second one in less than a month.

In a separate lawsuit that's seeking $45 million, Sherry Good is acting as the representative plaintiff for more than 800 people who claim they were wrongfully arrested during the G20 summit. That one filed Aug. 6 is against the Toronto Police Services Board and the federal attorney general.

The $115-million action has yet to be certified and none of the allegations contained in the statement of claim has been tested or proven.

With files from The Canadian Press