The mayor of the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Andrews in Manitoba has taken her own local government to court. Mayor Joy Sul filed a statement of claim on June 30 against the RM, seeking indemnification for nearly $50,000 in legal fees she spent successfully overturning a council bylaw that had stripped away her mayoral authority.
The political dispute traces back to December 2019, when the municipal council passed a controversial bylaw preventing Mayor Sul from chairing council meetings and acting as the official spokesperson for the municipality. The breakdown in relations initially stemmed from disagreements over a local wastewater infrastructure project and concerns regarding council decorum.
The Legal Fight and Council’s Rejection Believing the restrictions violated the provincial Municipal Act, Sul challenged the council’s decision. Although she lost the initial round in the Court of King’s Bench in 2021, she appealed. In 2023, the Manitoba Court of Appeal sided with her, striking down the council’s bylaw as invalid and illegal.
Following her courtroom victory, Sul requested a reimbursement of $49,026.46 in July 2024 to recover the costs she had paid entirely out of pocket. According to the court filing, the council sat on the request until June 9 of this year, when they officially voted to deny her demands without providing further explanation. Mayor Sul abstained from that vote.
Sul’s legal team argues that the council’s decision completely disregards procedural fairness and natural justice, alleging that the council has long demonstrated hostility and bias toward the mayor.
Defending the Elected Office In a statement released through her lawyer, Mayor Sul expressed disappointment over the municipality’s stance.
“I never wanted to be back in court. I made efforts to resolve this matter without further litigation, but I have been left with no other practical option than to ask the court to determine whether the municipality must meet what I believe to be their legal obligations.” — Joy Sul, Mayor of St. Andrews
Sul emphasized that she is not seeking additional financial damages or personal gain, but simply wants a reimbursement for the actual bills accumulated while safeguarding her elected title.
Sul was first elected to lead the municipality north of Winnipeg in 2018 and comfortably secured her second term in 2022 with more than 60% of the public vote.
