Man who threatened to kill city councillor gets 4 months in jail

City Councillor Stephanie Plante stood up before a judge in Ottawa this week explaining how it felt to be criminally harassed for serving her community and speaking French. Two years ago, a Rideau-Vanier resident named Jason Lamarche sent Plante death threats by email and made disparaging references to her Francophone heritage. Plante told court she was afraid, discussed moving with her family and seriously considered not running again for councillor. She did end up running and was re-elected Monday. Lamarche gave his own statement in court. He told the judge he's been living in a homeless shelter for several years since moving back to Ottawa from BC. And he spoke at length about the difficulty he's had getting meaningful work because his French isn't considered good enough. In his decision, the judge said LaMarche has long-standing mental health issues, refuses help at the shelter, and hasn't acknowledged his actions or the harm they caused. He sentenced LaMarche to four months in jail, to be followed by three years of probation. LaMarche's defense lawyer says it wasn't the outcome they were hoping for, and it's too soon to tell whether LaMarche will appeal. He has 30 days to decide. Kristi Nies, CBC News, Ottawa.