Toronto city councillor Michael Thompson denied sexually assaulting two women during a 2022 Canada Day weekend at a cottage on Acton Island in Muskoka, telling a Barrie courtroom Wednesday that one complainant initiated sexual contact and the other asked him to apply sunscreen to her back.
Testifying in his own defence, Thompson said he did not pressure anyone to drink alcohol, denied any non-consensual physical contact, and maintained that no guests were inebriated. “Absolutely not,” he said. “I had no agenda.”
The 65-year-old Scarborough Centre councillor has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault. Both complainants’ identities are protected under a publication ban.
Thompson told the Ontario Court of Justice that one of the complainants kissed him, flirted with him throughout the day, and later entered his bedroom naked. He said the woman poured two shots of tequila and led him downstairs, where she performed oral sex on him. Thompson said she stopped partway through, showered, and asked if he had a condom. When he said he didn’t, the encounter ended.
“At any point in your mind, did you believe she was not consenting?” defence lawyer Leora Shemesh asked.
“No,” Thompson replied.
Earlier in the trial, the woman testified that she had been heavily intoxicated, that Thompson woke her up and guided her to another room, and that she repeatedly told him no before he ejaculated on her face and chest.
Addressing the other allegation, Thompson said the complainant had asked him to apply sunscreen on her back while they were on the dock. He said he placed the lotion only on her back and denied touching her buttocks or breasts.
The complainant previously testified that Thompson massaged her under her bathing suit and made her feel uncomfortable, but she said she agreed in the moment to avoid conflict.
Thompson also rejected testimony from another woman, a student who attended the weekend and said he and another guest encouraged her to drink and made inappropriate comments. While she is not one of the complainants, her testimony was used by the Crown to support a pattern of behaviour. Thompson said she became distant after he declined to help her with education expenses and later refused to reimburse her for a concert ticket.
Near the end of the day, Thompson became emotional while recalling the moment he learned about the charges. He said he initially thought it was a prank when contacted by an OPP officer. “I was just literally shocked,” he said, appearing to cry in the witness box.
The judge-alone trial continues today.