Supreme Court of Canada won’t hear former vice-principal’s case

Former Donagh Regional School vice-principal Jo-Ann Lanigan unsuccessful in attempt to take lawsuit against PEITF to top court

A former vice-principal’s lawsuit against the P.E.I. Teachers’ Federation has come to an end after the Supreme Court of Canada decline to hear the case.

In a decision issued Feb. 8, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Jo-Anne Lanigan’s applications for leave to appeal two P.E.I. Court of Appeal judgments.

Lanigan was the vice-principal at Donagh Regional School when the then Eastern School Board disciplined her in 2010 over incidents involving the parents of a student with Down syndrome.

She sued the federation and in 2015 a P.E.I. Supreme Court judge ruled it breached its duty to fair representation.

The P.E.I Court of Appeal disagreed and overturned the lower court’s decision.

Lanigan asked the P.E.I. Court of Appeal for a reconsideration of that decision but was unsuccessful.

In July 2017, the P.E.I. Court of Appeal awarded the PEITF more than $153,000 in costs.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Lanigan’s applications with costs to the P.E.I. Teachers’ Federation.