An elementary school teacher has filed a response to a civil claim made against her by a former PAC president who said she was intentionally trying to ruin his reputation.
In her response, Yennadon Elementary School teacher Janine LeBlanc denied making any defamatory posts against former Yennadon Elementary PAC president Craig Towers and called Tower’s actions as “unnecessary, frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the process of the court,” saying the claim should be dismissed with costs.
Earlier this year Towers accused Yennadon Elementary School teacher Janine LeBlanc of defamation and of trying to destroy his reputation not only as a PAC president, but as an RCMP officer in Burnaby.
He then sparked controversy after the Yennadon PAC voted to give him $10,000 of PAC money for his personal legal fees.
LeBlanc had accused Towers of bullying and harassment, and breaching school district policies.
Her allegations included: the cancellation of the hot lunch program at the school after LeBlanc raised concerns about its frequency; the cancellation of World Teacher Day and that Towers refused to approve PAC fundraising for any programs suggested by LeBlanc; that Towers attacked LeBlanc in a letter to the principal of Yennadon Elementary and the school district superintendent at the time, Harry Dhillon, after she made suggestions on how to avoid allergen exposure in her class from hot chocolate; that Towers approached LeBlanc in her classroom on Sept. 27, last year, to discuss her concern about snacks for the Terry Fox Run because of a severe allergy in her class; and that Towers parked in a no stopping zone to take pictures of LeBlanc and her students who were outside the school building and yelled at LeBlanc he could “park anywhere” when she informed him of where he stopped his car.
In her response LeBlanc confirmed that she has been employed for more than 20 years as an elementary school teacher at Yennadon Elementary, primarily Grade 1 students, and that she and Towers were friends up until this matter.
However, in October of 2023, Towers, “commenced engaging in conduct of concern” toward her at her place of work and she went to the principal in an effort to resolve her concerns, her response says.
She said Towers then published statements on social media that she believed to be directed towards her, in addition to taking pictures of her outside of the school when she was with students. LeBlanc claimed Towers also sent her unwelcome and persistent text messages and there were other “concerning” confrontations and encounters.
LeBlanc said she submitted an online complaint to the school district on or about Oct. 11, 2024 in an effort to resolve the conflict. She said the complaint was made against Towers personally, and not against the Yennadon Elementary School PAC, which Towers alleged in his initial civil claim.
LeBlanc said the school district retained a lawyer to investigate her complaint.
Starting in December, 2024, LeBlanc’s response states, the school district implemented several protocols to ensure she felt safe in her workplace. Towers was to avoid certain parts of the school and LeBlanc was to be told when he was on school property.
On or around Feb. 21, 2025, more protocols were put into place including requiring Towers to park away from LeBlanc’s classroom and staying away from the exterior areas of the school outside her classroom. He was not allowed to enter the “A Pod” and was not to engage in any verbal, written, or other communications with LeBlanc. These protocols remain in place.
Towers said in his notice of civil claim that he first received a document from counsel for SD42 around Nov. 26, 2024, with LeBlanc’s complaints, alleging that he bullied or harassed her while in his role of PAC President.
And it was at a general PAC meeting around that date that he put forward a motion that the PAC provide him $10,000 for his legal defence, and he remained in the room during the vote. The funds were paid in trust to Tower’s lawyer, Cole Rodocker.
Towers accused LeBlanc of violating a confidentiality request by the school board by anonymously attacking him online as a concerned parent, making defamatory statements against him, available to the public to read. Towers also claimed defamatory posts were made by a “John Doe”, a secondary defendant in the lawsuit, whose identity and residence, the document states, are unknown.
However, LeBlanc said in her response that in the days following the PAC meeting, the motion drew a lot of attention, criticism and public discourse among families who had children at the school.
But she denied that she published or had any involvement in publishing, encouraging, or authorizing the allegedly defamatory posts in various Facebook groups.
Instead LeBlanc accused Towers of breaching the confidentiality clause by reading a letter he received from an investigator summarizing the allegations being made against him aloud at a PAC meeting.
Towers is asking for damages for the harm done not only to his reputation, but financial harm and emotional suffering. He is also seeking damages for the manner in which the defamatory statements were made and publicized and wants a formal apology to be publicly posted by LeBlanc, absolving Towers of wrongdoing and admitting to purposely trying to damage his reputation.
LeBlanc said if Towers has suffered any damages, which she denies he has, then the damages are a result of his own conduct.
None of the claims made by either LeBlanc or Towers has been proven in a court of law.