Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival fundraising for comedian’s legal fees

Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival has come out in support of a Quebec comedian who was ordered to pay $35,000 in moral and punitive damages to a young artist for jokes about his singing and his disfigurement. The festival will present a bilingual show Saturday night to help raise money for Mike Ward’s legal fees. The Quebec Human Rights Tribunal ruled earlier this month that Ward made discriminatory comments about Jeremy Gabriel’s handicap during shows between 2010 and 2013. Gabriel, now 19, has Treacher Collins syndrome, a congenital disorder characterized by craniofacial deformities. Ward has said he will appeal the decision, which also calls on him to pay Gabriel’s mother an additional $7,000. Canadian Press