A candidate running for Vancouver city council under Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC party is a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by a company she helped co-found, which alleges she and two others misappropriated corporate funds.
Joyce Gillespie, her husband Tony Lam, and CLB Interactive Inc. are named as defendants in a notice of civil claim filed April 30, 2026, by GigHound Inc., a company that connects employers with temporary and gig workers. Gillespie previously served as a director and president of GigHound, while Lam was the company’s former chief executive officer and chief financial officer and is the sole director and officer of CLB Interactive.
Gillespie announced her council candidacy in August. Her campaign biography does not name GigHound directly, instead describing her as an entrepreneur who co-founded a technology platform in 2020 that helps Canadians find work quickly and get paid within 24 hours. Her nomination papers list GigHound as an asset she holds.
In a statement to CTV News, ABC said Sim is aware that Gillespie is being sued and that the lawsuit was disclosed during the party’s candidate vetting process. Asked to respond to the allegations, Gillespie said she could not comment on active litigation, adding that she believes the court will reach the right decision.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
According to the claim, GigHound director Justin Ober grew concerned in August 2024 that the company was operating at a loss and began reviewing its finances. That review allegedly uncovered non-business-related expenses charged to GigHound by Lam, as well as overbilling by CLB Interactive. Two other GigHound directors, Cole Derochie and Mike Tipper, are also named in the suit.
The alleged misappropriation is said to have occurred between October 2022 and August 2024. Among the claims, GigHound alleges Gillespie and her mother were overpaid on loans they had made to the company, and that company funds were used to cover personal taxes and non-business expenses including flights, accommodations and entertainment. GigHound also alleges that during this period, it met with Lam to discuss the misappropriation and that he admitted to it — an allegation the defendants dispute in their response.
GigHound further alleges that Gillespie was a recipient or beneficiary of funds misappropriated by Lam, and that she served as his direct superior at the time.
Tax Arrears and Disputed Signatures
The claim states GigHound owes approximately $6.3 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, alleging Lam gave false assurances that arrears had been paid and that the company’s tax filings were current. GigHound says its investigation revealed the CRA had attempted to contact both Gillespie and Lam about the accruing arrears, but that neither informed the company or took steps to address the debt. In 2024, the CRA began garnishing wages from one of GigHound’s largest clients, according to the filing.
The lawsuit also alleges that before leaving his role, Lam copied the company’s electronic files, including legal and financial documents. GigHound says it demanded the documents be returned around November 2024, and that Lam responded he had given them to Gillespie.
The claim further alleges that around February 2023, the signatures of Ober, Tipper, Derochie and Gillespie were applied to financial statements without the consent of Ober, Tipper and Derochie. A month later, the same group’s signatures were allegedly applied again without consent, this time purportedly declaring a cash dividend. GigHound states that Ober, Tipper and Derochie did not agree to the dividend and never received it, and says the identity of whoever applied the signatures remains unknown.
Removal and Defendants’ Response
The claim states that due to her conduct, Gillespie was removed as GigHound’s president in February 2026 for poor performance and for actions against the company’s interests. GigHound alleges that Gillespie, Lam and CLB breached their fiduciary duties to the company, and that Gillespie assisted the breaches by being reckless or wilfully blind to Lam and CLB’s conduct. GigHound is seeking punitive damages, describing the defendants’ conduct as callous, high-handed and a marked departure from ordinary standards of conduct.
Gillespie, Lam and CLB Interactive have filed responses disputing the allegations. In a filing dated May 25, 2026, Gillespie’s side claims she has never been validly removed as a director or president of GigHound and that she received no remuneration for her role as president. The response also states Gillespie had appointed Lam as her proxy in recognition of potential conflicts of interest arising from her spousal relationship with him. Her lawyer argued she had no knowledge of whether Lam or CLB misappropriated funds.
A separate response filed June 10 by the CLB defendants denies that they misappropriated company funds, stating that any overpayment of loans made by Gillespie or her mother to the company was not improper.
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