Dear Supporters,

A great deal has unfolded since my previous message, and I want to keep you fully informed.

On June 24, 2025, I appeared before Justice London-Weinstein to present my motion to:

1) Add five additional applicants who have concerns for their future or are also impacted by the City’s transmitter meters, and
2) Compel the City of Ottawa to file its answer to my Judicial Review (filed December 8, 2024).

I also raised the fact that the second case conference, ordered by Justice Labrosse after my water was restored and meant to be scheduled for mid-January 2025, was never held. The court itself took no action to follow Justice Labrosse’s directive, and the City’s seasoned lawyer never prepared a case-conference request when things stalled in February. Yet, AFTER I served him with my motion, he was suddenly able to file a request with the court and instantly obtain a June 2nd case-conference date. Since I was not available June 2nd, I provided the court with two alternative dates in June.  The court came back with November 17th because J. Labrosse was not available.

At the June 24, 2025 motion, several troubling events occurred. While Justice London-Weinstein acknowledged the lengthy delay in my case, she blamed it on my motion rather than on the court’s own inaction or the City’s failure to schedule the case conference mid-January, 2025 ordered by Justice Labrosse.

Mid-hearing, she went further and handed the City’s lawyer a case citation to frame my motion as an abuse of process, yet provided no legal authority or guidance to me, a self-represented litigant. She also mischaracterized the subject of my Judicial Review in her ruling, effectively prejudging the matter before it has even been properly adjudicated.

Justice London-Weinstein ultimately refused to allow the addition of the five new applicants, though she did order the City to file its response to my Judicial Review by October 31, 2025, well before the now-delayed second case conference, rescheduled for November 17, 2025. This was a partial success on my motion.

However, she then went on to state in her ruling that the City was successful on their motion and presumptively entitled to costs against me. In my view, this is yet another discouraging tactic that serves to punish and deter self-represented litigants from pursuing justice.  

Because of these irregularities and the appearance of bias, I have filed a motion directly to Justice London-Weinstein asking her to recuse herself from my case. The recusal motion is scheduled for November 4, 2025, at 10 a.m., and I will share the Zoom link as soon as it is provided.

After the June hearing, I submitted my final Judicial Review documentation and asked the City’s lawyer to confirm that they will respond to my Judicial Review by the October 31st deadline.  I also asked him to advise whether they can attend on February 25th or 26th, 2026, dates offered by the court registrar. The lawyer promised to reply, then went on leave; I have since learned he is being replaced by a new lawyer, who did not respond to this question.

I am also awaiting a Freedom of Information (FOI) response from the City regarding the events surrounding my water disconnection.

Recently, I was made aware of two individuals in Regina whose water has been shut off, a troubling reminder that this issue is not confined to Ottawa. Closer to home, I have personally witnessed five separate watermain ruptures on Massey Street, right beside my own, in just the past twelve months. You may also recall the two highly publicized ruptures in Ottawa this September 2025, two breaks in two days:

1) Watermain break in Orléans prompts calls for new roadways - https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/water-main-break-in-orleans-prompts-calls-for-new-roadways/
2) Watermain break causes flooding on roads, sidewalks in Kanata - https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/watermain-break-causes-flooding-on-roads-sidewalks-in-kanata/

In response, I wrote to my councillor, Tim Tierney, asking a simple question: When was the last time our tax dollars were used to upgrade the watermain beneath our streets? Unfortunately, I received no answer.

I encourage you to ask your councillors the same question. In my view, our tax dollars are not being properly managed to repair either our water infrastructure or our roads, which remain in a worsening state of disrepair. Instead, municipalities appear to be searching for new revenue streams and shifting responsibility for leaks and failures onto homeowners.

This concern is underscored by the City of Ottawa’s recent update of its water by-law, now relabeled 2025-227. Leak detection is featured prominently in the revised by-law, granting the City broad powers to inspect and to order repairs for private water services.

If you would like to support me with court filing fees and related expenses in this fight, any contribution would be deeply appreciated.

E-transfers can be sent to: ibeaudoin@rogers.com.

Your support helps me continue this work on behalf of all residents.

Thank you for continuing to stand with me as this case moves forward. I will keep you updated as soon as new developments arise.

With gratitude,
Isabelle Beaudoin