Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi has pleaded guilty to professional misconduct over comments he made about Gaza and Palestinians on social media, exposing him to a $30,000 fine from Quebec’s professional accountants’ disciplinary council. The case involves no allegations of financial wrongdoing or improper accounting practices, but rather political statements made by an elected municipal official who also holds a chartered professional accountant designation.
The guilty plea was entered Thursday, October 22, before the disciplinary council of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec. According to La Presse, the parties jointly recommended a $30,000 fine, along with additional costs and mandatory professional training scheduled for May 2027. A written decision confirming the penalty has not yet been released. His licence to practise accounting is not currently facing suspension or revocation.
Levi, an outspoken supporter of Israel who has frequently criticized Hamas and Canadian policy toward Gaza, has attracted considerable attention for his social media posts since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. In August 2025, responding to reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering a complete takeover of Gaza, Levi publicly supported Israeli occupation and annexation of the territory. He called for Israel to act decisively, declaring that there should be no more apologies or hesitation.
In an earlier controversy, Levi criticized Canada’s program to admit people from Gaza, suggesting that the values of those seeking entry were incompatible with Canadian values and that he did not want to welcome additional hatred into the country. The comments sparked criticism and, in May 2024, led to an unusual dispute with lawyers representing him in a separate legal matter. According to court documents reported by The Epoch Times, the lawyers sought to withdraw because they feared their association with Levi could cost their firm other clients, including a major Quebec teachers’ union. Levi defended his right to express his opinions and refused to withdraw his support for Israel.
The disciplinary complaint against Levi was brought by Claude Maurer, an assistant syndic of the accountants’ order. The official hearing notice identifies the alleged offence as failing to act with dignity and avoiding conduct likely to damage the reputation of the accounting profession. It cites provisions of both the previous and current professional codes of ethics, along with Quebec’s Professional Code. The publicly available hearing notice does not identify every social media post included in the complaint.
Under Quebec’s professional regulations, accountants are required to maintain standards of dignity and conduct even outside their accounting work. The CPA order’s published ethics guidelines specifically extend those obligations to personal social media activity and warn members that their public opinions can affect the reputation of the profession. The regulations consequently allow disciplinary proceedings over conduct entirely unrelated to preparing financial statements, auditing businesses or dealing with clients.
Hampstead has already committed municipal funds to Levi’s legal defence. On November 17, 2025, the town council unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-261, authorizing the law firm Stein Monast to represent the mayor in the disciplinary proceedings. The resolution, proposed by Councillor Harvey Shaffer and seconded by Councillor Larry Zoltak, states that the allegations concern statements Levi made while performing his duties as mayor, rather than in his professional capacity as an accountant.
Levi has been one of the more visible municipal supporters of Israel in Canada. Following the October 7 attacks, Hampstead displayed Israeli flags at municipal facilities and adopted a bylaw imposing a $1,000 fine for removing Israeli hostage posters from public property. Levi has also repeatedly criticized political leaders and organizations he considers insufficiently supportive of Israel or ineffective in confronting anti-Jewish hatred.
Leave a Reply