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“The service provided by the individual in question is not a commercial operation. Rather it is a service for those who require it; in many cases for medically necessary procedures. Going forward, I hope the City of London will use more appropriate discretion in exercising its bylaw enforcement.”

The outpouring for the cancer survivor, a 58-year-old woman who doesn’t want to be identified because she doesn’t want to draw unwelcome scrutiny from those who administer Ontario’s disability program, wasn’t limited to outrage.

Dozens of people said they want to help cover the costs of the woman’s fines and her legal defence.

One Londoner went a step further. The head of Neighbourhood Legal Services, Jeff Schlemmer, has started a GoFundMe campaign, contributing $100 himself and seeking to raise $3,000 to cover the fines and the legal costs for the woman, who has hired paralegals.

The outpouring of support left the woman crying for joy. “God bless these people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she told The Free Press.

Brown, who was attending a Toronto conference on Tuesday, wasn’t available to answer questions, but acting mayor Paul Hubert filled the breach.

“I’m totally sympathetic with the challenge people have getting to (medical) appointments. I appreciate and applaud this woman’s desire to help, but there are other ways (that don’t run afoul of bylaws).”

The woman has said she was a victim of a city-run sting operation. A bylaw officer posed as a patient who needed a colonoscopy so that he could pay the $12 she charges for a round trip, which led to two $1,160 fines for owning and operating a vehicle for hire without a licence.