Pot company threatens legal action against MLA over 'defamatory' social media comments
Sean Kavanagh | CBC News | Posted: June 1, 2018 10:25 PM | Last Updated: June 1, 2018
Delta 9 gave Steven Fletcher June 1 deadline to pull down posts on conflict-of-interest legislation
Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. is demanding Assiniboia MLA Steven Fletcher delete a pair of posts from Facebook and Twitter its lawyer calls "defamatory" and "highly inappropriate."
Fletcher tabled two letters in the Legislature early this week from Delta 9's law firm. The second letter calls for the posts to be removed and an apology issued by the end of the day Friday, June 1.
Fletcher's Facebook page on May 17 contained the following comments and they remained there and on his Twitter page as of Friday afternoon.
The letters to Fletcher, written by MLT Aikins LLP lawyer Steven Kohn, highlight both posts and say Delta 9 "categorically denies and resents the implication" the company or people who bought its stock did anything improper.
"They [the posts] imply, in the complete absence of any evidence, that the supposed inadequacy of Manitoba's conflict of interest legislation somehow allowed Delta 9 and its shareholders to engage in insider trading or other impropriety for financial gain," wrote Kohn.
While Fletcher's post claims Delta 9 stock went up "over 1000%" on Oct. 17, public trading of the NINE-X stock began Nov. 6, 2017.
Fletcher declined comment to CBC News, but when he tabled the letters in the Legislature he called Delta 9's action "a blatant attempt of intimidation," and called the company's response "over the top."
He also said in the Legislature, "I am not suggesting Delta 9 did anything wrong. In fact, they could be a great success story. But Delta 9 does not have control of who buys and sells their shares."
Fletcher has fought a noisy battle to update the province's conflict of interest legislation. He tabled his own bill after financing its translation personally, only to see it defeated. The government is planning its own legislation for next fall.
The MLA for Assiniboia was dumped by his own caucus in June last year for what Premier Brian Pallister described as breaching its rules.
- Steven Fletcher expelled from Manitoba PC caucus
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On top of battling for conflict of interest legislation, Fletcher annoyed his party by supporting organ-donation legislation and criticizing the province's decision to create a stand-alone energy-efficiency Crown corporation.
Fletcher has sent the letters from Delta 9 to the Ontario and Manitoba Securities Commissions calling on them to launch investigations.
Gary Symons, the director of communications for Delta 9, told CBC News he needed to speak to company executives and its legal team to catch up on the matter in order to give an informed comment and would respond next week.