*** NEW UPDATE on April 5, 2024 ***

In January 2023 the lower court ruled against Del Grande in round # 1 of his lawsuit, siding with Mike’s TCDSB persecutors. Worse still, it ordered a $140,000 cost award against him. Subsequently however, Mike sought leave to appeal the badly reasoned decision, and naturally, the TCDSB asked the appeals court judges to dismiss his request.

However, to our delight, on September 18, 2023, the 3-judge panel, which included Ontario’s Chief Justice himself, ruled unanimously in Mike’s favour, thanks to the brilliant arguments of his defense lawyers, and granted a $5,000 cost award be paid to Mike. This effectively cancelled out the lower court's negative $140K award, at least until the appeal is heard and decided. 

Round # 2 of Mike’s lawsuit against the TCDSB will begin at the Court of Appeal for Ontario on September 23, 2024. Please pray for another victory.

That only brings you up to speed on Mike’s battle in the real courts! His other fight, happening concurrently, is at the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), where he’s on trial for opposing transgender ideology in Catholic schools and also for defending a pro-life movie about the life of Abbey Johnston, an abortion worker turned pro-life activist.  Mike's next round of OCT tribunal hearings will take place on April 29, May 16, 22 & 24,  and June 4, 20, 23 & 24.

Please join us in storming heaving with prayers for Trustee Mike Del Grande. He is out-gunned and out-moneyed by these government-funded agencies (TCDSB & OCT). They have limitless access to taxpayer cash which Mike cannot hope to match, but with the power of prayer - and God's blessing upon his righteous cause - we believe he will win both cases.

*** NEW UPDATE on July 17, 2023 ***

Mike has already had six days of hearings before the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) judicial panel with the next one scheduled for July 19th. Please keep him and his legal team in your prayers. To read our reports from the OCT hearings, go to www.clife.ca/TeachersCollege. 

*** NEW UPDATE on March 16, 2023 ***

*** NEW UPDATE on October 19, 2022 ***

The nearly two-year wait for a judicial review court hearing is ending today, October 19, 2022.

Mike's attorney is arguing before a panel of three Ontario judges, asking them to rule that the Toronto Catholic District School Board illegally found him guilty of “misconduct” for having objected to a motion by another trustee to add “Gender Identity” and “Gender Expression”.

After today’s hearing the court’s decision will likely take a few months to be written and published.  A loss for Del Grande would be a dangerous precedent because it would be used by the LGBT lobby to try canceling elected trustee all over the country, and perhaps even at higher levels of government, who dare to speak out against the transgender agenda, and other left wing ideologies. He needs financial support to pay his outstanding legal bills, before he can even consider mounting an appeal in the event of a loss.

Please continue to pray for Trustee Del Grande and for the justices hearing the case.

*** UPDATED on May 2022, with a message from Michael ***

Well friends, a few months ago, I found out that the case will be heard October 19-20, 2022.

It really feels that the process is the punishment. I have heard from many of you thanking me and praying for me in this ongoing persecution.

The anti-Catholic Radicals relish at continually attacking me while I get bullied at the School Board for challenging that attitudes that oppose the Catholic Faith.

The tactic is to shut down anyone who supports traditional morality and faith.

I have become a lightning rod and to oppose them requires funding. I am asking once again for financial help. Our legal fees are about $180,000 and counting.

We cannot lose because we do not have the financial resources to stand up to them. It is a David and Goliath story.

Please help me.

*** UPDATED on May 4, 2021, with a message from Michael ***

Dear Friends 

What started as a simple process to find justice has not been so simple.

With legal representation to challenge a reversal of a Determination of not being in violation of the Trustee Code of Conduct, to an appeal and then to a judicial review has been costly.

The School Board and the Province have deep pockets. There is one lead lawyer for the Board and 4 lawyers from two departments in the government.

It is becoming a war of attrition by escalating costs to deter me from fighting for Catholic Values and Morals in our Schools.

The onslaught of secular and worldly values are replacing true and faithful teaching of our faith.

I have received many words of encouragement and prayer in light of a number of health issues but the bills need to be paid.

I do this on behalf of all true believers of the Catholic Faith. I thank those that have assisted to date with our fundraising efforts. 

Sadly, Campaign Life informs me that we must set our goal for $125,000 which I think is a low figure given what is ahead of us. To date we have costs of $108,000 and we have not yet gone for the Judicial Review. We have presented discovery material which the Board's lawyers are objecting to. This means we have to go before a judge to have these materials included. More expense!

Our side believes this is a precedent setting case. Religious Freedom, free speech, right of public debate etc.

Silence is consent to Christian Persecution. To those who have contributed, I thank you and ask you to consider additional contribution. To those who have watched please get involved and help with a contribution. 

Will you help me carry this cross on behalf of all of you who are faithful?

*** UPDATED on January 25, 2021, with a special message from Michael ***

Dear friends. 

Thank you for your kind words and prayers. Injustices cannot go unanswered. The community of faithful believers have asked me to go on but in order to do so, financial support is needed.  

Even your financial support has been challenged by Trustees who do not want their actions questioned. 

I have suffered immensely for over a year being hounded and bullied. My heart had to be paddled due to the stress of this battle.  I am on medical leave now trying to recoup my physical strength but my spiritual strength is strong. 

I need your assistance. May God bless you and may he keep our families strong in this confused world. 

- Michael

**** **** ****

STAND WITH MIKE

Canada’s power hungry LGBT lobby, along with dissenting forces within the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) are once again trying to destroy the faithfully Catholic Trustee, Michael Del Grande. They’ve been persecuting him for a straight year, with the help of anti-Christian mainstream media outlets like The Toronto Star and the CBC. Even though he was found not guilty of violating the Code of Conduct during an August 20, 2020 vote by the board, those who lost the vote are trying to re-litigate until they get the result they want.

Michael has been forced to hire a very good lawyer to defend him against this attempt to remove him from the Board, and against other attacks that have been launched by LGBT activists via other avenues, hoping that something will stick, and force him to resign.

Background on the hate campaign against Trustee Del Grande

Michael is one of the few trustees on the TCDSB who adheres to, and defends the moral teaching of the Catholic Church in Toronto’s Catholic schools.  The majority on the board have voted for, and espoused, heretical positions that contradict Catholic moral doctrine and Christian anthropology of the human person.

One year ago, in November 2019, Del Grande heroically put forward a motion to oppose the addition of the terms “gender identity” and “gender expression” as grounds for non-discrimination to the Toronto Catholic District School board’s official Code of Conduct, as was his moral and fiduciary duty

We know of course, that the transgender lobby’s unscientific Theory of Gender Identity is anti-Christian to its core, directly opposing the Word of God in Genesis 1:27:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Del Grande’s motion sought, through analogy and hyperbole, to demonstrate for his colleagues the slippery slope and incongruence of them voting to add these problematic, anti-Christian terms in a Catholic environment. The motion proposed adding other sinful sexual behaviours (such as pedophilia) to the Code of Conduct, to make it clear that if one sin cannot be normalized and promoted in a Catholic school, neither should others.

Numerous gay activists filed complaints against Del Grande, falsely implying that he accused homosexuals and transgenders of being pedophiles. He did no such thing.  But the biased, pro-gay media spun his comments out of context, lied about them, and basically accused him of causing the suicides of LGBT-identifying youth everywhere.

Please consider donating to help Trustee Del Grande with his legal defense fees. We cannot lose Michael’s voice and leadership on the TCDSB, a huge board which is entrusted with the religious formation - or malformation as the case may be - of 92,000 Catholic children.  If the LGBT lobby succeeds in crushing him, it will set a precedent to persecute every other Christian in public office who dares to defend Christian moral teaching.

UPDATED MAY 4, 2021 - The fundraising goal has increased to $125,000 as a result of the legal costs exceeding original expectations. But we are not ready to give up on Michael! To date, your sacrificial giving has made the following legal efforts possible :

--- In advance of the Nov 11, 2020 vote against Michael, a legal opinion was submitted to persuade the board that a second trial would violate his Charter rights
--- Legal representation at board meetings.
--- Submission of a 35-page legal appeal of Del Grande’s second, unlawful “trial” including sworn affidavits. Sent to Board of Trustees on Nov 25th.
--- An “Application for Judicial Review” asking the court to overturn the Board’s unlawful second determination. (in progress) 

ADDITONAL RESOURCES:

The Trustees seeking Del Grande's resignation are the same ones who call the Catechism of the Catholic Church 'Dangerous'. Watch this video of three Trustees, including the chair, stop a delegate from reading a passage of the Catechism during a Board meeting. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqWvGTs6HDM

ARTICLES: 

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/toronto-catholic-school-trustee-responds-to-board-rejecting-his-latest-appeal

Cardinal Thomas Collins Blasts Catholic Trustee
https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/hot-news&id=557

https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/youth-blog/id/185/title/the-public-flogging-of-trustee-del-grande

Faithful trustee standing up to LGBTQ attack exposes rot in Toronto Catholic School board, by Lianne Laurence
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/faithful-trustee-standing-up-to-lgbtq-attack-exposes-rot-in-toronto-catholic-school-board

NOTE: All donations (less credit card / processing fees) will be sent to Michael Del Grande to help cover his legal costs. If you wish to make a donation offline, contact Campaign Life Coalition at 1-800-730-5358. Campaign Life Coalition has set up this crowdfunding page on his behalf.